A Pirate I Was Meant to Be
by Tallemy
Summary: What if a merman wants to join the crew of Ornitier, led by Namikawa Rensuke in order to earn a place in the ranks of pirates? Can a Misaki even whitstand the life on a ship or will he jump back into the sea after a few days? But General Minamisawa is restlessly hunting the ship, and the merman brings a completely new kind of danger fo the raggy crew. [Kaiou centered]
1. Chapter 1

Chaos reigned over the ship.

The smell of gunpowder quickly filled the air. After the siege, things have gotten rather fiery among the two crews. And something like this wasn't supposed to happen if everything went according to his plans. They were only after the goods of the cargo ship but Namikawa underestimated its importance and let the soldiers who appeared on the deck surprise him. Needless to say, everything went out of control after that.

This was not among his plans. Not at all. All he wanted was to rob them out of their goods and run.

But now it became almost impossible as the navy's thugs were closing in on them.

"Any ideas, captain?" Wanda Naoto, his first mate looked at him, probably expecting a good solution from the great captain. Yet all Namikawa could do was to shrug and keep defending from the incoming attacks, viciously swinging his sword forward.

"Do you think we would be here if I had any ideas?" he hissed.

"Then think of something?"

"Just keep fighting. The more goes down the better chances we have for escaping."

They slowly started making their way back to their ship, dancing like their swords were their partners, jumping away from incoming attacks. Alas, this deemed to be a useless try, as they were still fighting in the middle of the deck.

If only the side of the cargo ship was closer… If only…

"Oh look! If it isn't some dirty _pirat_ on this clean deck. How hideous."

The fight froze for a split second.

A few metres away from them a youth wearing the uniform of the naval captains ascended the stairs, holding an expensive blunderbuss in his right hand. His golden eyes gleamed in the smoke as he carefully observed the trespassers on his ship.

Pirates. The most hateful creatures on this vast ocean, who mindlessly attack any ship that comes in their way.

"Oi, Rensuke, are you sure you want to dirty my Artemicion? Are you?"

Rensuke clicked his tongue nervously and brought his sword-using hand down. His face twitched into an unpleasant smile as he answered.

"Your Artemicion? The last time I've seen yer snobbish face you were only a lieutenant on the Crescent and now you dare to call yourself the owner of this ship?"

The boy wearing white gloves only shook his head in disappointment. Seemingly the captain's words hit the nail on the head and angered him because in the next moment, he drew his sword out of its case, holding his blunderbuss in his left hand.

"Unlike someone, I did my best to earn ranks."

"You mean licked your best?" barked Wanda from afar, not letting this chance go away without any comments.

"Insult me all you want, I don't care." he said, then pointed his blunderbuss towards Namikawa "But I do care about that reward posted on your captain's head!"

"Oh, Minamisawa, you're dead wrong here. The reward was posted on _everyone_'s head in my crew, catching only me would be a waste of time, wouldn't it, Naoto?"

Wanda Naoto gave him a look as Namikawa continued his theatrical antics slowly distancing himself from his partners on the deck. His captain had a sly smile on his face, meaning that he finally had some sort of plan.

"What do you mean?" asked Minamisawa keeping an eye on Namikawa's movements. But while the navy officer tried to figure out what was Namikawa's goal with this idle chat, Naoto, who stood near the main mast suddenly understood the plan of his captain, signalling Umigishi Entarou to shake off the soldiers on their right. As they stood no chance against his boulder like figure and collapsed easier than a tower without cement.

"That if you keep focusing on me my mates might escape, so does your reward!"

"What?!"

Before Minamisawa Atsushi could do anything about the escaping crew members Rensuke attacked him from the front. He barely blocked the hit with his blunderbuss. It left a nasty mark on the precious barrel, knocking of the gilded engravings. The navy officer wanted to shout at him for being a barbar, but Rensuke quickly delivered a kick in his knees, leaving Minamisawa defenceless.

"As I said, without them, I'm just your everyday worthless pirate scum. Turning me in wouldn't give you enough money for your fancy hairdresser, just saying." he cackled, watching as his mates quickly started throwing sacks on the Ornitier. Everything went well.

"My handkerchief will wipe up your blood!"

„So you got that job as janitor, after all. And there I was thinking you might've gotten a better rank."

He was about to escape when he heard a voice. Right behind his head a toneless voice lapping up his neck like a lukewarm breeze.

"_Freeze!_"

Rensuke instinctively leapt away, leaving an opening on his defence what Minamisawa immediately used for his advance causing the captain to trip and fell forward, landing hard on his knees.

"That's the end of your voyage, pirate," a voice called out to him.

Minamisawa smirked at his new subordinate. Ibuki Munemasa was only a freshman under his wings, but he always had to be in the center of attention, like some kind of freak. Of course, he had to butt into his business with Namikawa.

"You wish. Everybody get moving!" Namikawa commanded. "I'll go after you, just go."

"Rensuke, will you be alright?" Naoto asked as he fiercely fought back, clearing the way to their ship, but his captain was already occupied by the two officers, jumping away from their attacks. He tried edging closer to the side of the ship.

"I said go!' Rensuke shouted impatiently as he leapt at Minamisawa again. "We will meet later, just don't start acting like my mother because this is clearly not the time that."

He didn't have time for sappy goodbyes this time or his mates might've fallen with him too and knowing Wanda he wouldn't hesitate to risk his life for him. But now he needed to fulfil his role as a captain and sunk this goddamned ship to ensure the safety of his mates.

Minamisawa shook his head, "What a fool."

As Rensuke tried to neglect their attack he got cornered at the other side of the ship with only the wooden handrail between him and the sea. Out of the two possible deaths that came into his mind, he wanted to choose something worthy of a pirate.

Something that didn't include being stabbed or gunned down by coward lapdogs of the navy. So the only choice he had was to jump, hoping that his first mate will listen to him and won't turn back with the Orinitier.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Minamisawa, but alas, I have to leave your extremely entertaining company and you fluffy new dog."

His feet parted with the handrails.

Only a terrified shout could be heard, filled with very Minamisawa-like malicious growling. And with all honesty, Rensuke couldn't help but smile at this act. Dying by the hand of those idiots had no rewards.

The impact made him dizzy, but he didn't lose his consciousness right after sinking deep into the sea.

Compared to the world above the water, this place was enveloped by silence and darkness, endlessly taking away his vision.

Or so he felt like it.

Before he slipped away, he could hear a voice breaking the silence of the sea.

**[Hey, are you alright?]**

**A/N: As I hinted it in my last drabble, I was planning on writing something like this for a while. I mean, I've seen way too many "pirate-themed" fics being stuck at using Raimon, while InaGO had many great pirate and navy themed characters! It's a waste of potencial not to use any of them in a setting like this! D:**

**Reviews are always welcomed, even highly anticipated, but they're not a necessity, I guess?**


	2. Chapter 2

**[2] The Lookout**

He didn't know how much time had passed since he fell into the water, nor why was he conscious of his thoughts, however one thing disturbed him greatly: those rocks, those freaking rocks what kept digging into his spine.

It made him more confused.

"Finally, I thought you would never wake up!"

A voice was calling him in the middle if the ocean. Now that was even weirder. As he looked to his left he saw a rather masculine girl staring back at him from the water. The end of her short black hair softly rocked on the surface of the waves, and the stray strands of red in her bangs gave her a mysterious and unique atmosphere, but there was one thing Namikawa couldn't get over, no matter how hard he tried.

Those ears. Or flippers. He had no idea what a normal human would call them. It somehow fit the girl, but aside from that it was creepy for his taste, almost like some kind of weird abnormality.

"What's yer problem? Cat's got your tongue?" the boy asked, his black eyes carefully scanning Namikawa. "Though ye have no wounds?"

"No, I bet I have a serious wound in my brain" commented Namikawa looking the sky in order to escape the unnerving sight. "I'm going to die here, hallucinating monsters girls."

"Who are the calling monster, scallywag?" the boy asked with a faked accent, pushing the shipless captain into the water. Namikawa came back almost instantly, gasping for air, trying to get the stinging water out of his eyes. "I'm a proper merman, not some kind of seabeast!"

"Wait, What? A merman? Are you telling me you're a man? A boy? A fishboy?" he asked in a surprised tone after his sight finally came back.

"Yes?"

"I guess, with fish_parts_?"

"What are you trying to say?" the boy asked, slowly understanding the unspoken thoughts in Namikawa's head. "A-ha…"

"It's just how mermaids have fins for their lower part I guessed that probably you were different seeing how you're a merman and all." Namikawa tried to explain keeping his dignity, but without his crew backing him it was a quite hopeless situation. "I didn't mean it _that_ way!"

"Says the scurvy pirate who was marooned by his own crew," the merman laughed.

_Touché._

Before Namikawa could come up with a comeback the merman pulled himself up to the rocks, showing him his lower half. The orange coloured scales shimmered in the sunlight as tiny water droplets were collected at their connections.

Though his fins weren't in such good shape as they had many holes and their ends were torn. Namikawa couldn't help but wonder how could someone, who lives in the water ruin them so badly. They weren't supposed to touch anything with their fins. Anything, but water.

"Not bad," he nodded, trying to hide his amazement from the other. "So what's your deal?"

"Why would a merman save your life, and not kill a pirate in the moment it comes back to his senses, I wonder." The merman's lips formed a smile, but this was not the usual smile, Wanda or the others gave Namikawa when they successfully looted a ship, no, this was a smile of a machinator. "You're a keycharacter in my plan, because you see, I want to be a quartermaster!"

It took Namikawa good few minutes to comprehend the words that left the mouth of that lousy merman.

Quartermaster.

Someone who has no legs.

A Quartermaster?

"Have you lost your remaining screws?" he wanted to retrain himself but this kid was crazy.

"Why? I always dreamt of working with pirates!" The merman crossed his hands over his pale chest. "That or you won't ever see your beloved Ornitier again."

_True,_ thought Rensuke. He'd told Wanda to leave with the ship immediately so probably they were heading to Winslow Island. Yet he couldn't let a fish be his first mate, not when that role was filled by Wanda, his dearest friend.

He could only imagine Wanda's face if he came home with a fish, announcing that said fish will take over a job on the ship what requires swift movements, a good head in his neck and a special bond with other crewmembers.

"Look, while I'm grateful for your help, currently I have no free positions on my ship."

"You even have a cabin door unlocker?" the merman blinked sadly.

"We have no doors on my ship that needs to be unlocked," Namikawa lied.

"What about a driller then? I could sink ships by drilling holes into them, like I always do whenever the navy is fighting with pirates and I get bored."

Namikawa's interest was piqued by the name of the navy.

"You drill holes into their ships?"

The boy nodded. "By the by, I'll leave you now. Don't go anywhere or you'll be sorry."

Then with a hop, he disappeared in the sea, leaving Rensuke completely alone with his tiny rock-island.

It's not like I could. thought the young captain as he climbed back to his throne.

:::::::: :::::::::

Hours have passed but the merman was nowhere to be seen and Namikawa started to running out of rocks as the tide slowly rose the water to his navel. He could've swam away, but as he had no idea about the whereabouts of the nearest land, waiting was safer.

In the meantime he tried to find a good excuse to make the fishboy leave him alone as he was rather persistent about joining his crew.

But right now his priority was to get back to the Ornitier and make sure that neither Minamisawa nor someone else from the navy had harmed it and in order to do that he needed a plan.

A plan only pirates could execute.

::::::: ::::::.

The sun almost set when the merman appeared again, holding a flask in his hand. Obviously it was for Rensuke, but the boy didn't hand it to him immediately.

"So, you had some time to think about your situation, am I right?" he smiled.

"Am I your hostage now?" Rensuke tried to get the flask out of those cold hands, but the boy swam away faster than he could reach out to him.

"Pretty much yes. I could drown you and no one would know what happened to the captain of Ornitier, the exact same ship what anchored at the port of Rottingham Island this afternoon."

Namikawa stared at him, trying to keep himself in one place. The tide was now almost at his chest, cooling off his body and making his movements sluggish.

If his crew was at Rottingham he needed to get there as fast as he could, because Wanda was trying to do something really stupid to revenge Rensuke's fake death.

"Take me to them! Now!"

The merman just shrugged, handing him the flask filled with water. "You know the magic words."

"Alright, alright, I'll let you join my frigging crew, you seasnake, just let me talk to my first mate. You can't even comprehend how important is this with that fishbrain of yours."

"How about… no?" the merman disappeared in the water, then reappeared behind Namikawa. "You're a pirate. A really clever pirate and speaking of your crew, there is no way you would let me join them, am I right, Captain Namikawa?"

The merman ran his hands up alongside the spine of the captain, resting his hand on Rensuke's shoulder.

"So I'm offering you a fair trade. I'll take you to your friends, but that's the second favour. My only request is that for saving your puny ass and your friends' lives, let me join your crew. I know you want revenge, so I want to help you with it," the merman finished swimming away from Namikawa.

The playful smiles and gestures were nowhere to be found. For a full thirty seconds Namikawa sat still and held his breath. The tiny guppy transformed into a shark right in front of him.

"Alright!" he reached his hand to seal their contract but once again the merman had something else in mind.

"Not that easily," he stopped Namikawa when he was about to stand up. "If we're going to make a contract I want it to be lasting, so YOU can't go and just back out whenever your little pirate brain says so."

"So what do you want now? Do you see paper and ink in my hands? Or do you want to carve our contract into a stone with urchin spikes?"

"I want to seal the deal with a blood oath."

"Are you out of your friggin' mind? A blood oath? In the middle of the not-exactly-salty sea? No way."

He regretted those words sooner than they reached the ears of the merman. "Wait…!"

Out of two bad things he always ought to choose the lesser bad and now his crew worth way more than having a wriggling seadweller on his deck. It was a price he would gladly pay for his mates. He reached for his dagger and held it above the water.

"How should we do it?"

"Just cut your palm, I'll cut mine and then we'll shake hands. That's how they do it in old tales."

"Right, but before we do that, tell me your name."

"It's Misaki. Yoshimine Misaki," said the merman, lifting his head wearing a tiny smile. "And I hope you're aware that this'll hurt like hell."

Namikawa sent a piercing glare towards the merman, but stayed silent.

He wanted to drop the dagger as soon as it cut through his flesh. It wasn't enough that his skin was covered with sea salt, the dagger wore the same coating. Tears came into his eyes as droplets of blood fell into the water, but he kept his calmness around Misaki as the other boy followed him.

As the boy held his hand, he could feel the merman softly shivering from the pain.

"You won't regret having me as your crewmember." Yoshimine said as he tried to fight back his tears.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**A/N: And thus I close this chapter with this. I hope you enjoyed it and that you'll accompany the boys in the next one. uvu Once again, reviews are more than welcome. Haha~ I really love reading opinions or simple musings =w=**


	3. Chapter 3

**[03] Oh, Rottingham!**

"So what's up with Rottingham?" asked Misaki curiously, watching as Namikawa tried to make himself look better than a beached sea sponge.

"You want to be a pirate yet you've never heard of Rottingham nor the Pirate Lords?"

"Pretty much my answer is yes." Misaki pouted, splashing some water towards Rensuke. "Sorry, but I haven't had the time neither sources to be perfect in _piratology_."

Namikawa couldn't believe his ears. This kid wanted to join them, because he is simply interested in this pirating thing? He threw the merman a suspicious glare, wondering what could've been his motivation to join the race what wanted to catch his folks as trophies.

"Say no more. Just sit still until I come back."

"Already leaving your firstmate behind? How nice." Misaki said, justifying himself with a huff after Namikawa.

"First, you're not my firstmate, that's wanda. Second, I don't know if you've noticed but there are some differences between us. Something what we call legs." he responded, turning back to Yoshimine "Or should I drag you along like a sack of potatoes then leave you at the hands of the Governor?"

"Yes, you should."

"No, I shouldn't."

Namikawa realized their argument went nowhere with the merman acting like a stubborn mule. In the meantime his mates were in serious trouble so he couldn't waste more of his precious time on Yoshimine's childish antics. For a merman he was rather immature, yet at the same time he seemed to have his way with words. He had the feelings that one of his side was only a mask, but which one?

In the end, he decided to give the merman some meaningless work to do, fearing that he might do something stupid if he can't distract his attention from the village. What could he ruin by keeping an eye on his ship and the rest of the crew?

::::::::::: :::::::::::

As night approached, people have found their way to the local bars to forget about the stress of the day, finding their everyday seat and enjoying that small time they'd spent anchoring near Rottingham.

The village itself was a small resting place for vagabonds and pirates who wanted to spend a few days away from the sea, without having to hide away from authorities. But aside from serving as the pirate-heaven it was a run-down country village, unfriendly to those who were considered to be greenhorns. The crew of the Ornitier never had to endure their fiendish pirate trials due to having a veteran as their captain in the past; Kuki Masatsugu.

Namikawa halted his steps, thinking about his days as a beginner, when he was eagerly strolling after the veteran sea dog, who robbed many ships and fought a seemingly endless war with the navy. He was never really sheltered away from the cruel world of adults, yet now that he thought about it the captain was always strict with them, sending them back to the ship while he was having _fun_. Although they had learned it the hard way that he was only doing this for their sake…

But many things have changed since that. Compared to the old village-image, the main street was now lined up with shops for buying resources, hell, they even built a church in the middle of the town. That was something Rensuke would've never expected to see at a place like this.

He took one last glance at the small building then turned around and started walking towards the end of the village. The old Governor hated the buzz of the village, so he built his house near the other end of that shore-segment. If Rensuke was lucky the new one continued this old tradition and stayed at the same place, using the same rundown estate as his base of operations.

When the house slowly became visible through the bushes and trees lining the coast, he could easily see the bright light coming from its windows and thanked the gods for being kind to him tonight.

Now, he only needed to get there soon to prevent Wanda asking help from the Governor. This wouldn't only leave the crew of Ornitier indebted to him, but also Rensuke would cease being the captain, thus inevitably losing the ship.

Even if he thought highly of Wanda Naoto, this was something he just couldn't allow.

Not his treasured heritage.

He quickened his steps at the thought of this, not even caring when he had to cross the hundred years old suspension bridge, what creaked under his foot, throwing small bits of dust and dirt in the sea below him.

::::::::::: :::::::::::

While on the other side of the island Misaki tried to find a way to make himself useful, or more like, to join the flow of events.

He hated when they tried to leave him out of the fun and now this is what happened. And now, he was left alone to guard a ship. A ship. Not even a hostage, but a goddamned wooden colossus. Misaki was sure he would kick a hole in its side if he _could_.

For a while he was just floating on his back, counting the planks, forming the ship, mumbling in a weird language.

_This is what you get from cutting your hand. _

"Suffering from the stinging pain, while everyone else is in the middle of doing, well, something." he muttered to himself bitterly. He continued this activity until he'd gotten bored and started throwing rocks and shells on the ship's deck.

_We shouldn't let them go to the Governor, Tairamaru. What if they got caught? _

Suddenly hearing voices from the bridge fuelled a sudden idea in his mind as he continued throwing slightly bigger rock on the deck. The youth on the deck finally gotten suspicious of his act and leant out to see the source of rocks.

"Hey." Yoshimine greeted him with a flat expression.

"What do you want?" the white haired boy asked, unaware of Yoshimine's origins.

"Now that you ask I would be grateful if you could give me some bandage for the scar I've gotten from making an oath with your lousy captain."

"The captain…?!"

Yoshimine nodded, showing them the wound.

"Believe it or not from today, I'm the member of the crew too! That grump, what was his name? Right, Namikawa, provided me the rank of a quartermaster!"

"And you want us to believe that he would demote Naoto that easily?" another head joined to the kid wearing green hairband. This time it was the owner of the voice what he first heard on the deck.

Yoshimine let out a laugh, "After running to the Governor like a coward to… " he stopped in mid-sentence, thinking about something, that would cause the cat to leave its bag. "…to claim ownership of this fine seafarer, the Ornitier? Right now, your dear captain is on his way to settle the score with this very important pirate and your dear friend, so you better be prepared because when the captain comes back he will have a word or to with you."

His words seemed to hit the nail on the head. The two younglings started at him with wide eyes, trying to comprehend the events unfolding before them.

"You, beachhead, would you mind helping me stop this seadog from doing something stupid?" he directed the last question to the bigger boy, named Tairamaru. The small one was too small to help him getting around on the land.

"Can't you just go there by yourself?" he gulped, not wanting to get mixed up in this affair. Being scolded by Namikawa for not stopping Wanda sounded better than meddling with the affairs of his bosses.

"Hey, I'm here—" the smaller one started, but he was stopped when Misaki raised his tail above the water.

"I never once said I was a human." the merman stated.

Openmouthed, the two boys couldn't help staring at the glimmering scales.

"I guess now you understand the problem what comes between helping me and you being shrimp-sized." he responded.

The small kid groaned in distress, while Tairamaru finally collected his courage to face the seamonster.

He didn't avert his gaze from Misaki as he asked the following question. "What do you need?"

"Now that's what I was talking about." Yoshimine grinned. "First get me that whatchamacallit, that thingy with one wheel. I'm not familiar with landlubber dictionary."

"You wouldn't happen to want a wheelbarrow, right?" the small boy asked in a somewhat irritated tone. He was not a shrimp…

"Exactly, a wheelbarrow! Get me a wheelbarrow, quickly."

Tairamaru gradually lost track of why they were helping the strange merman who claimed to be their new quartermaster, but in his head anything was better than waiting for Wanda and if helping this creature meant that they can see Captain Namikawa then they would gladly help with any crazy plan, even if that meant to change a simple wheelbarrow into a ridiculous chariot.

Minutes later the wheelbarrow dutifully rolled through the village, carrying the impatient, but rather clever merman, who couldn't stop staring at the buildings those landlubbers have built in their free-time.

_They truly don't know when they should give up,_ he thought as he watched the passing image of the church tower. Must've been hard building all of this, without the water giving them free access to the higher places.

"By the way, that is your name?" Tairamaru asked him as they arrived to the end of the village.

"Just call me Misaki." Yoshimine waved. "What's yours?

"Tairamaru. But you can call me Tai or Taira. I'm not really fond of that maru part in it." he sighed.

Misaki decided to take a wild guess: "Too long to say it out in emergency situations?"

"Yeah."

"You should stick to it, though." the merman said quietly. But he almost instantly changed his attitude. "Damn, we're getting side-tracked with this whole name-talking. Come on, Tairamaru, stop those idiots!"

"Aye, aye, sir." while the current situation was rather important, Tairamaru couldn't help but laugh at Yoshimine. For a new firstmate he was rather direct with a common cooper.

_**A/N:**__ And now our merman is on the loose and no land can stop him! In the meantime our daring captain is about to unleash his wrath on a very important pirate, now knowing about what disasters fate will bring on him for letting a seadweller chain them together._

_Also, __**cooper**__ is a specialist who make barrels for the crew of the ship and takes care of keeping their food and gunpowder dry. This job required a lot of dedication and learning, thus only wealthy leaders could afford their services. In our case the past of the crew and Ornitier is a bit different thus Tairamaru is not driven by money._

_**Reviews are always welcomed since I spend a lot of time writing each chapter, and reading reviews are really nice after a few hours of hard work and tons of rereadings.**_


	4. Chapter 4

**[04] The **_**V**_**ery **_**I**_**mportant**_** P**_**irate **_**L**_**eader and other matters**

The Governor's house was anything but pleasant.

Once it was the most prosperous estate on the island, but time has left quite impressive marks on its sides and no one ever cared to clean off the pitch black soot from the walls, or simply renovate the ruined parts. It left the impression that the person who owned the house had many enemies and he wasn't scared of making more if he had to.

And that was what Kabutenji Yuu was famous for.

The current leader of Rottingham started pirating at the age of thirteen, about ten years ago. He only started with a loyal friend on his side, but he claimed ownership over the _Black Waltz_ a few months later by pulling a coup d'état on its former captain.

They said he turned the crew against the captain without ever bribing or threatening them. It was how pirates coming from Raimon's territory worked their way up on the rank list. Not with force, but with wits and this made them the most fearsome buccaneers one could ever met.

Luckily enough, in history only a few pirate ships were recorded sailing outside of Raimon territories and most of them were lost, when they tried to spread their wings too much because the small pirates made alliances to bring them down.

To think that now Wanda and his fellow mates were trying to talk with Kabutenji about the Ornitier. Those half-baked idiots.

Without any second thought he almost ripped the front door out of its place as he forcefully opened it.

'_Dwelling on the past won't get me nowhere.'_ he groaned as he started searching for the right room. The house was full of junk from all over the world, weird dolls and idols all over the place. If Kabutenji was bad at something it was keeping his collection at bay. Most pirates wouldn't keep every trash they've found on their journeys, but it seemed the current Governor was way too fond of these small souvenirs.

The most honourable decoration in the house must have been the thunder shaped golden brooch in a glass case. Probably it was a memory from his homeland.

Rensuke started wandering around, looking for the source of the light. He was sure that the room was around the right side, but so far he'd only found the bath and another room, what served as storage.

But when he was about to continue searching for his lost mates in the left wing of the house, faint voices escaped from inside a room. No light under the door. This should've been the sign that it was empty, like any other places in this mess, yet upon listening he really did hear people talking on the other side.

With a swift motion he opened the door, only to find a small waiting room, with a chair sitting at the wall.

_Ha!_

He should've known that someone as important as Kabutenji would make a big fuss of receiving visitors. He would bet that the governor had a small notebook filled with empty appointments just to keep the image of being a **V**ery **I**mportant **P**irate leader in their world.

He yanked the door violently open only to be greeted with his lost crew members, who looked back at him with startled expressions.

The governor, Kabutenji Yuu was a man in his mid-twenties. His silver hair had grown a lot since he started roaming the seas, yet his face still resembled to that young boy who left Raimon for the sake of adventures. When Rensuke joined the small meeting, he did not show any signs of surprise, just let out a small chuckle accompanied by a smile.

"Well, I thought you were sure about the death of your captain." he shot a piercing glare towards Wanda who couldn't stop staring at Rensuke.

"But captain, you were shot by Minamisawa…! Right here! " Nagisa, the gunner of Ornitier tried to explain themselves out of the situation by pointing to his shoulder, but Rensuke was on a rampage, too angry to think about the past. His anger got the worst of him and it was about to hit Wanda.

"Are you stupid?" he stood in front of his first mate.

Wanda Naoto remained silent. He made a mistake, they both knew this, and arguing with his captain would get them nowhere.

"Captain, we're not here about you think we're here!" Nagisa managed to squeeze that one last line out of his throat. He feared that Rensuke would hit Naoto if he let them stare at each other for any longer. "We wouldn't…"

It seemed that Kabutenji got bored of their little act and hit the desk. "I don't mean to interrupt your little lovers quarrel, but there are matters I wanted to talk you about. Matters, that needs to be talked about, because it concerns the wellbeing of your crew."

"My crew?"

" Yes, your stinking crew. As you see, lately almost every cargo ship is filled with navy officers. It's not just the so called _Artemicion_ you tried to rob. Same happened when someone tried to attack the _Pollendina_ and the _Adamantine_." after a minute of silence, he continued with an unexpectedly sharp voice. "Ten cargo ships in a week and almost every unimportant ship had high security on her deck, while those who carried luxurious goods were left unguarded."

Leaving the kids for their thoughts, Kabutenji pulled out a cigarette from the drawer in his desk, wordlessly lit it.

"So your suspicion is that someone might have a plan including transport…" Wanda added, as if talking to himself while putting the pieces together. This earned a glare from Namikawa who still felt that he'd lost his title as captain. "Sorry, Cap't."

"Nevermind." Namikawa shrugged.

"I would highly appreciate if you stopped this now." he said bluntly, blowing a puff of smoke towards the boys. "Cockfight is not allowed in this office. You are the last known crew who've tried to raid a cargo and came back empty handed. Have you seen anything suspicious? Anything, that would worth reporting?"

"Let's say we'd seen something, why does it matter to you?" Namikawa gave him a challenging look "What do _you_ know?"

The experienced captain looked back at him, inhaling another doze of smoke, but this time he just let it find its way out of his lung by itself. He seemed to be deep in thought for a moment, playing with the papers lying on the desk.

"More than you, that's for sure. Look, Namikawa, what would you do if I told you the balance of the sea is in grave danger?" he said, without blinking an eye.

Kabutenji was left without a response, so he continued. "Undines, leviathans, the mighty Kraken, Tiamat… While they rarely show themselves to us, folks, who've originated from the land their existence is almost unquestionable."

"Wait, mermaids are only exit…" Nagisa started to object automatically, but once again Kabutenji stopped him from finishing the sentence and took the lead again.

"…In fairytales told for toddlers? This only proves that you know nothing."

Namikawa wanted to tell everything about his newfound 'crewmember', yet that would lead to giving Kabutenji too much information. One thing he couldn't allow without knowing his intentions with this little tale.

Then, feigning ignorance, he joined the conversation with the best possible statement. "Even the laziest tale has some base on reality."

"That's right!" the governor clicked his tongue. "Lately there are rumours we can't overlook and with each passing day their numbers keep raising. What a great puzzle, don't you think?"

_Nope._

The crew of the Ornitier started to get rather annoyed by the governor, especially since the more he talked the more aggressive he'd gotten.

"The reason why I asked you to come here tonight is to ask you a favour. Keep your eyes open, watch out for cargo ships and the navy and tell me everything you see."

"Only because you had a bad feeling about them?"

"That. And there is something else, but that is classified information, not something I would share with rookies." After that he stayed quiet, with no one asking him questions the crew of Ornitier decided to leave.

"Namikawa." the man spoke, right before the pirate left his office. "Come back for a moment, you good-for-nothing scallywag." Even though, he said mocking words, his voice lacked any kind of joking tone. The boy sent his mates downstairs and stepped back into the office.

"What do you want, old man?"

The governor just smiled as he left the comfortable leather chair and walked towards his old showcase. "There is something what Kuki left here for you years ago." he explained rummaging through old junk. This collection seemed to be much more personal, as he handled even the wackiest masks with great care.

"You mean the Captain?"

"Aye, him. That old monkey."

When it came to Namikawa's foster father every pirate, who was around the age of Kabutenji seemed to salute in front of his memory. He wasn't just some kind of rookie, calling himself a mighty pirate. No, Kuki Masatsugu was one of the worthiest person for the title of Lord of the Seas. A rank, common pirates couldn't even dream of.

"He came here a few years ago, almost right before that night and gave me this letter." Yuu handed him a storm-beaten envelope, bearing the violet seal of the pervious captain of the Ornitier.

The only problem was that the envelope had no recipient, but a word 'Fellheaven'.

"I've guessed that you would know something about this Fellheaven, because that old monkey would never say a word about his plans. He just stormed into my house, tossed the letter at me without a word and the in next moment he was nowhere to be found." Probably half of this was a fib from Kabutenji's part to make up for the missing parts.

"Sounds like him." Rensuke agreed, slipping the envelope into his shabby jacket.

"So you know what this Fellheaven might be? A lady? A place?"

Rensuke remained silent. He knew it well what 'Fellheaven' stood for, but he didn't want to answer right away. Not to an unfamiliar person. Fellheaven stood for a place he never intended to visit in the future, not after what he had to go through there.

He took a breath, and then muttered is reply. "…I'll take it to the recipient_ if_ I find out anything."

"Great, I knew I could count on ya! And don't forget to keep your eyes open for me, I know it sounds like a fib, but our future might depend on youer pretty eyes."

Namikawa just shrugged at his remark.

When he spun and started to leave the door behind he'd heard voices coming from downstairs. He could easily identify Wanda and Nagisa, but for some reason Tairamaru's voice mixed into their, accompanied by a new one.

_For god's sake, should I tie him to the ship to stop him from wandering around? _

"Yoshimine you freakin' salmon!" he stormed downstairs only to be greeted by a fish tail, hanging out of a wheelbarrow. The mocking smile Yoshimine gave him enraged him even more, but the only one who was seemingly in shock was Naoto, who kept repeating the same sentence over and over. 'Mermaids don't exist.' while pulling on his dreadlocks.

On the other hand Nagisa and Tairamaru seemed to have no problem talking with the boy.

"How the hell did you get here?" he asked, trying to keep his voice from showing his anger.

"By the sheer force of will, captain!" he spread his arms, making the wound visible on his palm. "And with the help of our cooper."

_It's not our cooper._ He wanted to say, but instead just started walking back to his ship, dragging Wanda along as he still had problems accepting the presence of a merman.

"Come, were leaving the island."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**A/N:** And at least the crew members are finally together and they have an important task on their hands. Two to be exact! Many thanks for getting at the end of the plot-heavy chapter! uvu

Also Kabutenji is from the first 3 games (2 and 3). You can meet him around Okinawa and runs under the name of Tom Skipper! :3

I hope you all enjoyed it! Because the next time the Ornitier will start sailing the waters! Furthermore Namikawa has to deal with the handicapped merman on his ship who keeps demanding Wanda's title like his life depended on it. Why does he even clings to it so much?


	5. Chapter 5

**[05] You Never Listen**

The curtain of night hid the little group as they made their way back to the ship. No one had said a word, not because they had nothing to say, but because of the eerie atmosphere what lingered around their captain prevented them from voicing their thoughts.

"Oi, captain, how did you get back?" Nagisa decided to break the silence between them. "We all thought that, you know, you were dead."

"A pact with the devil, will help you in times of need." he growled under his breath, quoting an old idiom. Admitting that he had to ask for help in the middle of the ocean would've hurt his honor. After all, a captain had the be strong, never relying on other's help. Or so he thought.

"Hey." Yoshimine turned around in the wheelbarrow "I'm not a devil, you know?!"

"True, you have fins, not horns, but you're only inches away from being a devil from the deep abyss." a spiteful grin appeared on the captain's face as he pulled Yoshimine's fin-ears, making the merman shriek from surprise.

It echoed in the empty port, making it clear that the crew of Ornitier left the living quarters. Fortunately, the shops, built for trading and ship repairing were all closed at that time of the day, so their little argument went unnoticed.

"What's your problem?!"

"You, butting into our life. That's my problem." he spat in disgust.

Before Misaki could say anything else Rensuke yanked the handles of the wheelbarrow away from Tairamaru and dumped the merman into the sea, then tossed the barrow the he side. They had a pact, but this doesn't mean he will let a fish, out of every creature make fool of him.

When the boy emerged again, he was gasping for air, just like a real human, but Rensuke didn't let himself to be deceived by the pathetic act.

"Isaribi, tell the others to get ready for our departure. And by any means, please don't listen to that thrash in the water again. Don't feed him, don't bring him on my ship, don't do anything at all."

"Alright, but… Can I talk to him?" he asked, feeling discouraged by his captain. "After all, he is your first mate and all."

'No." Namikawa said almost expressionlessly, grabbing Wanda by the arm, dragging him away from the docks.

The captain and his unlucky firstmate soon disappeared in the night, searching for a place where they could discuss the sudden changes happening around them.

Tairamaru stayed frozen in place, unable to move. His captain tended to be rude, but what he told to the merman was really not like him. He was not simply rude, but he tried to kick Yoshimine everytime he had a chance.

The boy felt skin on his leg as cold hands clutched his trousers. Yoshimine was holding himself up with his elbows, giving Tairamaru a worried look, what shocked the young cooper even more. This was no monster, so why did they had to act like he was one?

"You lied to me." murmured Tairamaru, sitting down at the edge of the dock.

"…But he told me that I can be his firstmate!" the merman angrily showed Tairamaru his wound to prove his truth again. "He has the same mark on his hand, because he said okay to my clauses."

" Yoshimine, you know we are talking about THE captain." Tairamaru explained with a sigh. "Unless there were others around you there is no way he would admit something like this, even if you have the evidence tattooed right on your face. In his dictionary, accepting help from someone equals being too weak to fight on his own."

The merman was about to open his mouth again, but closed it upon observing Tairamaru's face. "… I got it. Sorry." he apologized, lowering his gaze.

"Nevermind. So do you still want to be a member of our team?"

"O- Of course." the merman pouted. "Would I go this far if I wasn't serious?"

Before he knew it the boy was on his feet again, his face beaming with confidence as a completely new plan appeared in the back of his mind. He wanted to help Yoshimine somehow, but to do that he needed the help of his fellow crewmembers.

"I'll go and talk with the others. Come to the right side of the ship later and I'll tell you everything." He made a ninety-degree turn and marched toward the Ornitier.

Yoshimine was left there alone, with a puzzled look on his face.

::::::::::: :::::::::::

Throughout the years Wanda had come to the conclusion that not even Davy Jones himself could change the mind of his captain, once he decided on something. Probably because it was easier to keep himself on the same old road, than constantly changing course and getting side-tracked.

He was like this when they first met on that tiny island. Stubborn kid, who always got what he wanted through force and rude words. Yet, no one really had anything against his behaviour, because the same person also understood his friends better than anyone. Hurt their feelings and you had signed a one-way ticket to hell.

Over the years, Namikawa matured a lot, especially after he became the captain of their ship. But regardless of the many hardships they'd endured together, Wanda had to come to terms with the fact that the captain's anger never truly disappeared and even days after a fight, he will keep mentioning bits about it in their conversations.

Probably the sole reason why he was dragged along was just to give Namikawa a good opportunity to scold him for acting too soon, visiting Rottingham and visiting Kabutenji without waiting for his return. God, the list could go on as of why he should be thrown into the sea, yet when they reached the bar there was no signs of the upcoming storm.

Even when their destination turned out to be harmless place at the far end of the town his suspicion was still present.

"So…" he sat down, expecting a reasonable answer from his captain. "Listen, if you want to behead me for today, then it wasn't me, Kabutenji insister us to come over as soon as we reached the land."

"Cut it out."

It looked like the bar hadn't had any wave customers for a while. There was a few people here and there but the place lacked the atmosphere of that good old pirate burrow. But the distinctive piercing smell of alcohol filled their lungs. Namikawa took a deep breath as he was about to ready himself for the talk.

"It's about the merman." Namikawa tried to keep his voice low, to avoid any unnecessary attention from the customers.

"What about him?" Wanda asked in response. He looked questioningly down at his captain.

"Haven't you seen him? He is a merman. And not just your normal, kind, helpful merman, no, he is a total psycho. Wants to join the crew just 'cause he helped me once."

"Oh, come on, just send him away." spat Wanda with an irritated tone.

"With the price of him sinking our Ornitier? Are you out of your mind? We 'ave no money for any type vessel ever since Murakami and Kaizu burnt down the galley. Or do I need to remind you the fortune we had to spend in order to make the ship swimming instead of smoking?"

Frankly said, they were so poor; they couldn't even buy the smallest economy vessel at the previously owned ship market. The Artemicion was their big chance to get some loot, but with Minamisawa on board everything turned for the worse.

"Nah. I doubt we will need to buy a new one, nor repair the old gal. But if the merman is so dangerous why don't we dispose of him? Ya know, sell him off somewhere far away, like, I dunno, in that certain city the capt' used to visit a lot?" Wanda seemed to hit a sensitive spot on Namikawa's ego as the latter gave him a piercing, cold glare. "S'rry."

"You better not saying anything else. Besides I won't tolerate tossing others in slavery." he spoke in a murmur. "Instead help me find a way to get rid of that scurvy brat without sinking my own ship or selling him at the fish market."

Wanda sat next to him deep in thoughts when he finally found a possible solution for their problem. So kind as always. If they just killed the kid they would have no further problems with his scales, but no, of course that was prohibited in the first round of their musing.

His fingers were drumming on the table as he slowly imagined every possible scenario, until he found the most usable plan.

"Let the boy get what he wants. If he wants to be a pirate, then we just have to make sure he gets the most quality pirate training a merfolk can ever get."

"Not bad." the captain gave a grin as he reached for the menu. "But if your plan fails you owe me and the whole crew a round of grog at Spader's. Also the merman will be the new firstmate on the ship."

'What?! Heck, Rensuke have you gone mad?! What can a fish do what I don't?"

"Who knows?" he sat back in the chair, taking his sweet time to look at the variety of foods the bar could offer him. He hadn't eaten anything since morning. "I'm starving. What should we eat? I vote for Orange Fish."

"Get me the biggest roasted red snapper they can fetch from the ocean, there is no need for them to slice it, I'll do that myself." he growled.

Namikawa just laughed at the tantrum of his first-mate as he waited for the right moment to ask him about their visit at the Governor's mansion.

-..-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

**A/N:** Ah, I haven't updated in a while, right? Sorry for that, uni caught me by the tail with its usual chaotic administration works and disasterrific schedule. (Also it's not a secret that I kept wasting my time playing Ni no Kuni, master of puns, that game is)

I hope you enjoyed this tiny filler-chapter that serves as a prologue for the next arc. I know i wanted to make them sail in CH5, but Wanda needed this dinner with the captain for his own sake. Also before i forgot, red snapper is indeed the fish I used for Yoshimine's merfolk form. :o

As always reviews are more than welcomed! uvu/


	6. Chapter 6

**[06] The Captain's Decision ****  
**

When they arrived back to the docks everything was silent. Yoshimine was nowhere to be found. Not near the Ornitier, not around the docks and this only fact was enough to send chills down on Rensuke's spine. Not seeing the merman around was just as unnerving when one was aware of the presence of a mosquito, but could not see it.

Speaking of the Ornitier, the only crew member guarding the ship was the bosun, Saruga Souma. His white spiky hair almost fluoresced in the faint moonlight. He was about to get rid of the remainings of the dinner what stuck between his teeth, but his dagger was too thick to winkle out the meat-piece.

"You'll cut off your tongue if you keep using that blade as a toothpick." Namikawa greeted him, hitting the bosun on the back.

In his surprise Souma not only started coughing but jumped too, dropping his blade in the water and sending it to the bottom of the harbour.

"Cap't," Souma readjusted his glasses in embarrassment, "And Wanda… I thought you will be out for the night."

"Are you insisting that I'm not welcomed on my own ship?" Namikawa gave him a lopsided smirk as he made his way towards the Ornitier.

Souma was walking with them and it looked like he had much to say. "Cap't look, about that merman you caught today…"

Namikawa stopped in his tracks and sent an almost frightened look toward Naoto. Merman? Please, let it be someone else.

"What about it? Don't ye dare to tell me that you brought that rotting fish on my deck."

"Aye, 'tis not the case. Just… we came to like the little scoundrel a lot while you two were away and thought about keepin' 'im around, but then we were told by Tairamaru that it is forbidden. You know the rest." he shrugged.

"Just how you can't see monkeys playing poker, you won't see fish going on adventures with a ship," Wanda explained in a very diplomatic manner. Namikawa seemed to go off the track they decided to follow, so he needed to step in in case his tongue slipped about their plan.

After all Yoshimine could be anywhere if the crew was already aware of his existence. In the end it got better, because all of their mates were on the deck, waiting for their captain to come back.

Hopefully they didn't have a plan.

"Where is that ignorant deck-swabber?"

"Which one?" asked someone from the back of the ship.

Namikawa sighed, "The one that was gobbled up by a fish. Is he here tonight in our small group of friends?" He looked around, but no one seemed to shiver in fear yet nor raised their hands to speak.

"Captain, the big thing is, Yoshimine left a while ago," said Tairamaru weakly, hiding his face by staring at the flooring.

"Are you sure? A liar's punishment is worse than those who fail to complete a task given by their captain," he warned the boy, but it didn't have any effect. Yet the fact that we wasn't willing to look into his eyes was an obvious sign, that Tairamaru tried to keep some secrets to himself, but if the crew wanted to test Namikawa so much, then be it. It just makes it easier for him to turn tables with the merman.

"Yes, I'm a-absolutely sure. Not long after you two left, we had a talk and he expressed to me how he changed his mind, because he didn't see our crew fit to the task of helping him and yadda yadda. I've heard he went to the Kurbli Isles, we should go after him."

Kurbli Isles were famous for their industry built on _a _certain type of dog toy, an award winning place for good for nothing pirates to spend their vacation doing nothing. To think that even merfolk knew about it raised some questions in Rensuke.

He knitted his brows. "That's a shame, really. I was about to invite the lad to ouer crew. But I guess if he is about to play all day with rubber chickens, I won't hold him back. After all the way of pirates is not meant for mermen."

This was the part where the cat should've jumped out of the bag with Yoshimine shouting at them, but nothing happened. Rensuke glanced at the crewmembers; something about their dishonest expressions told him that Yoshimine's sudden departure for the Kurbli isles was a fib, but he couldn't find any evidence to confirm his prosecutions.

"We should go look for Yoshimine to tell him the good news." Nagisawa tried to be the voice of the reason on the other side of the ship, yet he only caused the whole thing to fall apart.

"Nah, we ain't going to the direction of those isles for a good year. At least not until Christmas or some other solemn occasion like Wanda's birthday."

"Hey!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to spoil your present." Rensuke couldn't help but to let out a chuckle, averting his gaze from Naoto.

If there was one thing Wanda hated aside the supernatural creatures, it was rubber chickens from Rensuke every single year and it seemed to change into a running gag among the crew because the poor toys often served to annoy the hell out of him.

When they had no food, those squeaky chickens almost immediately came into sight as decorations on their table, but rumours were told that the captain himself had one in his cabin, among the many junk he'd collected on their various adventures.

"What I was about to say-" he tried to get back to his half-serious style, but oh god it was hard. Not after someone started imitating the voice of the said toys. "Murakami, stop that!" he pleaded between tears. The tiredness was about to get his brain functions too.

"So what I was about to say, if Yoshimine is so eager to buy us rubber chickens, we should let him have the time to collect the money first. I daresay, we should pay Senbayama a visit to refill our food stocks, then in a few weeks there will be a ball at the neighbouring area, I bet there will be a few ships we can rob."

"Oh, you mean the ball at Tengawara?" Namikawa almost jumped out of his skin upon hearing that dreaded word leave the lips of his fellow crewmember.

"Hell, no. The place we will visit is not full of freaks, who are so high and mighty about knowing how to read their so called star map," he raised his voice. He didn't want to do that, but it happened faster than he could silence his enraged thoughts. Sadly, this was a touché topic.

After that, he refused to even look at the people in front of him. They had gone through this road so many times, he lost count of them. Tengawara left an old scar on the whole Ornitier, but Namikawa was still under the pressure of the past.

The others have moved on, but he was so involved in the events what happened on that island, that it made the healing process much more painful, the wounds eventually poisoning his thoughts about that place.

"Come on, Cap't. We haven't visited Tengawara since, you know…" Saruga called after him, but it seemed he was talking to the back of his captain.

"And this is exactly the reason why we won't visit it now, either." Wanda jumped in, shooing away the crew before they could experience the captain's wrath. "Back to your posts, everybody, we are going to leave Rottingham at dawn. Check every single rope around the ship, make sure we have no tears or leaks then go to sleep and repeat the process in the morning! The Ornitier just escaped from a dire situation, we don't want to sink in the first turn."

Wanda gave out orders like a true veteran quartermaster should, ensuring that no mates could disturb Namikawa in his pondering. With the disappearance of the merman the old problems resurfaced, making him wonder if it had been better to keep the boy around.

Of course, he was not fond of him, but for the sake of their mental health, the Ornitier needed to experience something new or else they'll just end up losing their ship one day.

::::::::::: :::::::::::

After passing many quiet hours, staring at the water and thinking about his past, Namikawa kept on replaying the events in his head, over and over again. He tried to find the mistakes in their plans, how they failed or more like when. What made the navy attack and who betrayed their trust. It was all tangled and without his captain there was no way he could solve this mystery.

He wanted to read the letter so badly, in hope to find some clues, but he couldn't even bring himself to open the seal as it made him feel nauseous every time he thought about what happened after they returned from Tengawara.

The first thing he could smell that noon was not the refreshing smell of gunpowder and the scent of rotting wood, but something much more dreadful.

"What a joke." he growled under his breath, clutching the crumpled envelope. Probably the letter was sent to apologize for what happened. he was sure that persona had something to do with the whole catastrophe.

::::::::::: :::::::::::

The sun was not high up in the sky yet, but the dark blue skies have already started changing their colours into the strange mixture of purple and orange. Before he knew it dawn had come, bringing their departure from Rottingham.

He was about to rest his aching head on the ship's railing when his eyes met with a familiar face. A face that caused so many problems in only one night, that it deserved its very own section if they ever wanted to change their ship into an art museum.

But strangely enough, neither of them seemed to be in the mood for their usual quarrel.

"I see you've changed your mind once again," Namikawa told him, not raising his head from the railings.

"I never left in the first place."

"I know." Namikawa squeezed his eyes shut. "What do you want? Still blabbering about joining my crew?"

"Well, I wouldn't be here if I had any other plans in mind, would I? I'm bound to you by blood." Yoshimine's answer was much more restrained than when they'd met at the Governor's house. It was almost calming, making Rensuke unable to respond.

The merman in the water gave him an apologetic look.

_Kittens._

Came into Namikawa's mind. Kittens did the same when his mother was about to kick them out of her house. They purred and snuggled closer to her until she said approved of their stay. After that his mother was non-existent for the cats.

Those drooping ears, the sad eyes what seemed to hold so much understanding toward him, all of them were part of this strange sea cat's plan.

But Rensuke didn't care.

"You know what? You can call yourself the member of my crew, just don't go giving orders to my men and don't ever come to the deck! You'll swim. Swim all day; swim all night, until I say it is enough. "

"Aren't you a tiny bit harsh? Even if I have fins, it's like running next to one of your devil carriages. The ones pulled by those neighing creatures," he added.

"Do I look like I care?" Of course he didn't, Rensuke was preoccupied by his headache, but deep down he felt bad after imagining the example.

"No. But you look like someone who could use a few hours of sleep. I can see the dark circles under your eyes even from here," the merman was about to say something else, but he closed his mouth in silence, without ever starting the sentence.

"And whose fault are these?" he angrily pointed at his eyes.

"Alright, next time I'll tug you to sleep. Sing you a song or two, just stop you from blaming everything on me," he huffed.

"Hey, I didn't do that."

"Go to sleep. Even arguing doesn't seem to go your way this morning."

"I have to be ready for our departure." Rensuke explained.

"I don't care. Wanda can sail the ship without your help. Go to sleep, you lousy sleaslug!" he shouted this time and splashed a few droplets of water towards Rensuke, but they fell back on Yoshimine.

Probably the loud voice had the desired effect on him, because Rensuke stopped himself from countering the merman's word. There was a bit more time before everybody wake up and he could use that time wisely.

He hid the envelope in his pockets and left for his cabin, without saying anything else to the merman.

"Pretending to be strong won't get you anywhere." said Yoshimine after he heard the door opening and closing. He still struggled to find the answer why he found the Ornitier so fascinating. Especially the captain; who was nothing like him, and yet for some reason he was very like him in some way.

**A/N: Another week, another update. I daresay, writing this fic has really grew on me in a strange way. I've never dreamed that I'll be able to write almost 10.000 words about the pirate lads. But it's just too fun to play around with Kaiou members. uvu **

**Also don't mind Kurbli Isles, kurbli means "crank" in my language and I just really wanted to add some 'gibberish' island to the mix and words like this have their charm.**

**Thank you to all the readers who'd decided to follow this story.**


	7. Chapter 7

**[07] Measure of a Man**

Days have passed almost uneventfully after Namikawa finally agreed to recruit the new crewmember and Yoshimine seemed to enjoy being with them a lot, so he never really complained about the harsh treatment. Swimming almost all day was a hassle and sometimes he felt like he won't ever reach the ship, but after learning how to ride the bow waves created by the Ornitier nothing could really stop him.

Nothing, except Namikawa.

The pirate captain still acted like having Yoshimine around was a curse, brought upon his ship by the Fate herself.

Whenever their eyes met when Namikawa was inspecting the sea, the young captain quickly averted his gaze, pretending to be occupied with something else. At that time, Yoshimine was only a fish in the sea, not his mate. On top of that there was no way he would let him become a fully pledged member of the crew!

::::::::::: :::::::::::

After their second week the Ornitier finally reached its first destination; the agricultural port town of Senbayama, located at the delta where the Lorne river emptied into the sea.

On its own, Senbayama was only a rural town with the typical pagan folklore about gods of harvest and other supernatural beings. And that was it. But since the area was lucky enough to be completely left out of almost every military movement and enjoyed neutrality since its day of foundation, it had no heroic tales or epics on its own, only the anecdotes told by the visitors, merging with their fishermen tales.

It's not like the townfolk had anything against their lifestyle. Thanks to their calm history the town could expand and evolve without ever falling into enemy hands and over the course of time many trading company decided to rent their main office in the heart of the port. Their money could've been measured to the water of the Lorne river.

Out of the many strange laws they'd made to ensure this calmness, probably the most curious law of the area was their complete prohibition of military activities. This meant that pirates, navy and trading vessels enjoyed protection from each other and upon breaking the law the opponent ships got sunk almost immediately by the town's defence forces.

No wonder when they arrived to the market Namikawa felt relieved. Even if they'd met with their enemies they wouldn't have any right to raise their guns to their head. Thus captain was idly walking down the street with his fellow crewmembers, trying to find the necessary supplies for their journey.

"I daresay, you look strangely happy today," came the remark from Gunki.

"Because today is a very special day, when I don't have to look at our dear," said Namikawa with childlike excitement in his voice. They haven't spoken a word after that awkward morning, but his crew couldn't stop talking about the boy.

"Come on, we all know that you like him."

"This is a severe misconception I would like to erase from history." Namikawa found it hard to calm himself when he was thinking about Yoshimine, but he started to get used to dodge the remarks regarding his decision. He won't change his mind that easily!

"Severe misconception, my ass! You're just too stubborn to open up to him," Gunki patted him on the back. "Sometimes a simple greeting can do wonders, ya know? Just try talking to him once in a while. Like, about the weather. He is nearly not as terrible as you describe him."

Namikawa chose his words and spoke. "I will... keep your words in mind. But don't expect me to welcome a freeloader on my ship!"

"That's what I wanted to hear."

At the end of their conversation the two boys had completely merged into the hustle and bustle of the crowd, searching for their chosen cambist.

Pirates couldn't just give stolen jewellery and foreign money as payment, due to the difference of metal amount in their treasures. It would have been too easy and too hassle-free that way, if they could just leave a golden ring on the counter for food. Unfortunately, whenever they wanted to refill their supplies or spend some money, they had to visit a money exchanger who would measure the value of their goods.

Finding a reliable one was hard, though. Just like how merchants loved their money, cambists were the same. They would go great lengths to earn some extra cash, even scamming their customers. One had to know who could be trusted or else even pirates could be chiselled out of their hard earned money.

In Senbayama, their local cambist was a young boy called Mitsuyoshi Yozakura. He usually sat next to a small stand with a scale, somewhere near the Omni trading guild. He had his red-violet hair tied into two buns, inviting new customers with a fox-like grin. Those who were unfamiliar with his strange ways would pay the price of the gullibility, but returning customers formed an entirely different category.

"Long time no see, pals! You look well!" he greeted Rensuke and Gunki with his widest smile. "I'll bet you have come with some nice wares in your bag, yeah?"

"Nothing much. The navy have their dirty hands on almost every merchant ship out there, ya know?"

Mitsuyoshi snickered.

"But of course. If the navy is on the move we feel their steps on our pockets before anyone else," the boy cackled, patting his pockets few times. Trade guilds were the place if one could get any information for a reasonable amount of money as they had a strong connection with each other.

To stay in business they needed to predict everything that could be connected to money in some way.

Mitsuyoshi was a big trickster outside of business, but when it came to money he knew no mercy. If the navy or any other armed force started some kind of operation the money would slowly lose its value causing harm to them.

Rensuke'd started to doubt that their small loot will fetch a good price, but showed him the old leather bag.

"Then how about appraising these for us? It's easier to hear the numbers, than talking about how the navy ruins in the local business."

"Aye, good going, Renny." Mitsuyoshi hastily took away the bag from them, carefully inspecting its contents. It was only a part of the Artemicion's treasure, but upon seeing the expressions on the cambist's face Namikawa had the feeling the golden jewellery doesn't worth much.

"I can give you three thousand silver _penger_ for this lot or…"

"Or?" Namikawa glared at him, thin-lipped.

"Well so to speak, three thousand is not much, or at least, it's less than it was a few months ago. Not going to be rich from this one. Nope-nope. You would be better off with golden money it would be harder to pay with it, but your loss would be smaller." he sighed, obviously fearing his own business.

Because silver was used for weapons, along with the small amount of copper, it was a known routine that silver coins were collected back to the mints in order to get the remaining silver out of them, thus lowering the value of money.

It was all about listening to the coins when they fell on each other.

"Pirating is not a good business now, eh?" as Mitsuyoshi cackled again, tears started rolling down his face. Every passer by looked at him not understanding the reason of his cheerful attitude. "Well once you're up and now you're down. Life is like playing Ring around the Rosie, so why a pirate's life would be different?" he added when he calmed down.

It seemed Gunki was about to ask _'Wouldn't that mean that pirating was never rewarding?'_ but he stopped himself, knowing that they had to be careful with their words when they were dealing with Mitsuyoshi. Just because he was more reliable than the other cambists around them, didn't mean that he couldn't strip Namikawa out of his money if he wanted to.

"Don't spare me, how much would be this in golden_ pengers_?"

"Are you ready for my big revelation? One hundred golden pengers and this is a friendly price because I know that you'll have to deal with the local market prices afterwards."

After hearing the price Namikawa's eyes opened as wide as they ever got. He preferred his payment in silver, because gold, even if it looked pretty, was the most useless currency for making smaller payments.

They'll be buried under silver pengers anyway…

::::::::::: :::::::::::

"We should buy some beef jerky, don't you think?" Touga Tooru, their one-eyed cook, was trusted with the mission of doing grocery shopping, but now that they ordered almost everything the leftover money started burning his hands.

Fukami was acting like his heaver, holding crates filled with potatoes on his shoulders. Tooru insisted on taking them to the Ornitier instead of waiting for the carriage as he didn't wanted anyone to fill the crates with stones like last time. The two huge crates were all self-assorted.

"You don't even _like_ beef jerky," Fukami tried to solve the mystery behind Touga's strange ideas. First he wanted to buy jam for Namikawa and now they were talking about beef jerkies.

"That is correct! I absolutely hate the salty, sour favour of it, but isn't this something a merman could never taste?" he winked at his boulder-sized mate. Fukami hesitantly nodded with a puzzled expression, still trying to put the pieces together. "But you hafta admit that the captain's mood ruins the taste of a fine food. I can't let Rensuke blow up my kitchen with his sourness! It's like eating rotten sea urchin meat!"

"Wait, so the food you made in the past few days wasn't expired in the first place?"

"No, but if you keep talking about my culinary wonders this way, I'll make sure to put some sea hare poison next to your potatoes," he grumbled.

"No need for that. I believe you."

Though many of them had no idea that the spices Touga used were expired a few years ago. They still had the bottles from the times when Kuki was the captain, but just like everyone else he decided to keep them as a memento. After all, his mother would always say that spices never expired if mushrooms didn't sprout on them.

That Namikawa. He had no sense for a good business.

Merfolk live in the sea, the sea is the home of fish they could never catch from the Ornitier. Asking Yoshimine to fish for them would make their journeys so much easier. Furthermore, healthier! Even salted wish had the tendency of becoming spoiled.

The sea would be their marketplace, not Senbayama's dirty streets.

But when they returned to their boat the only one waiting for them was Saruga. Yoshimine was nowhere to be found just like when he had an argument with Namikawa.

"Oi, is our merman around today?" Tooru asked their bosun, but Saruga just raised his hands and shrugged, tilting his head a little.

"Yoshi said something about having business around the delta, then he just _pshooo_ disappeared with a splash. I haven't heard of him ever since that. So nope, he is not here."

"But I _am_ here. You can't expect me to float here all day waiting for the others." Yoshimine re-emerged from under the water with a dirty rug in his hand. The rug that was filled with various junk he'd collected at the bottom of the harbour, landed in the boat with a metallic _klang_ sound.

"This is what those losers leave in the harbour, " he announced with a smile. The fabric contained various coins and other small treasures. Some of the money was unknown even to them, but since the merman only found a few pieces they couldn't exchange them for money unless they deemed to be extremely rare or legendary.

"What's your plan, Yoshi?" Saruga asked with a knowing look, holding a silver coin towards the sun.

"How about letting me stay on the ship? At least for the nights." he suggested.

If the crew had any power when they decided what should they do with Yoshimine, their captain would've been alone with his lone 'nay', but with Namikawa being in charge, the merman's fate was sealed to the sea.

Even after he showed him how useful a merman could be his timing once again proved to be terribly bad. The captain was still depressed after his deal with Mitsuyoshi and he didn't even want to hear the merman's reasons.

::::::::::: :::::::::::

Thus, on the following night, Yoshimine started his so-awaited plan B.

If things won't go his way if he asks nicely, then he will use force! The only thing he needed was enormous amount of strength and endurance. And these were things he gained thanks to Namikawa's stubborn attitude and the harsh pace he had to follow through the last two weeks.

When he made sure that everyone gone to sleep his work had begun. On that night the only sound that could be heard from the Ornitier were similar to the rattling of some stray ghost's chain. Sometimes these were accompanied by splashes and blunt thuds, but no one bothered to wake up to them.

Just like how the loud cry, echoing through the silent night went completely unnoticed.

**A/N:** **Happy NamiYoshi day everyone!**

**You have no idea how happy I am because I managed to finish this chapter on the ship's day! I tried to stay accurate with how mining and issuing silver coins worked, but I have to admit my archaeology lecture is only a distant memory now. u_u **

**Yoshimine seems to take some drastic actions! But at the same time the once calm sea is at rage and ready to take out whatever comes into her way!  
**

**Thank you for reading this chapter! Reviews are always welcomed!**


	8. Chapter 8

**[08] Mopping the Deck**

Many things were not among his plans early in morning, especially because waking up was never among Namikawa Rensuke's strongest features. But he had to admit; meeting the cold deck helped him a lot with this problem. He was sure if he didn't swing his arms forward the crew could go back to Senbayama and find a new captain for their ship, because in the moment of the impact he could've broke his skull.

But after his first confusion Namikawa'd decided to look back at the unexpected obstacle. A fish. More like a giant red fish what ended in the middle and from that part continued as a human.

Indeed, the creature greeting him so early in the morning was none other than the moron merman.

Namikawa was waiting for the wave of anger to wash over his head, but it never came. When he looked at the peaceful face, his anger disappeared into thin air. Without the usually mocking smile and furrowed brows Yoshimine gave off a completely different image. Something,that matched the description of his lineage from the ancient legends.

As he watched the slumbering merman, with ears folded back to Misaki's head, Namikawa couldn't help but think positively about the boy.

It was almost a shame to wake him.

On the other hand, a sleeping merman was not something he wanted to see before the rise of morning sun.

After he got to his feet again he tried giving a slight kick to Yoshimine's side. The only reaction he got was a slight mumbling and the boy turning onto his other side.

Namikawa was about to raise his voice, but that would've attracted his crew to the deck, giving handicap to the sweet-talking merman. That damned thing managed to befriend almost everyone in such short span of time. If they started to quarrel, his mates would probably choose the merman's side, ignoring every logical possibility.

"Misaki."

It did nothing.

"Hey, Misaki!"

Fed up with the merman, Rensuke grabbed the boy's shoulder and shook him. First, it had no effect, but after repeating the process a few times with more force, an irritated squawk echoed through the ship.

"What's gotten into you?" he yawned, sweeping the dream out of his eyes.

"The hell are you on my deck you, ignorant sea urchin?"

"Apparently, I _was_ sleeping. But since someone always sails without me, I thought it's easier if I make myself the resident of this cosy ship," said Misaki, swishing his tail in irritation.

"I thought you have fins, so swimming after us shouldn't be a problem for you," answered Namikawa, shrugging.

"And even if I have fins, I can't swim after your ship all day and all night," Yoshimine cocked his head. "Or don't tell me that you would run next to that thing with round legs or whatever, if you could just sit on it instead."

"I told you already, there is no way I will let you stay on the Ornitier. You may have your title as my sailor, but-"

"And as your sailor, I have the right to spend time with my mates!"

Namikawa perfectly understood Misaki's scheming. It was so simple. Yet, by the time he realized the merman was a fully pledged member of the crew. He not only memorized their names, but had enough time to actually befriend and study everyone's habits.

No wonder, when Rensuke brought up the possibility of Yoshimine staying on board, no one really said anything against that. Even Wanda shared their views and stated that he didn't mind the merman's presence. He wishes to keep his title as the firstmate, though.

"You should be more open." said Nagisawa to his captain. "Most sailors can't even dream of catching a undine, and here we have one as our friend. Isn't this cool?"

"See, I'm so lovely even human males would fall for me!" Misaki chuckled, theatrically sweeping away his red strands.

"Thank this to your fish-half," Rensuke snapped back at him, before an idea appeared in his brain. He remembered Wanda's advice from that night. Originally he wanted to keep the merman tired and weary from swimming after the Ornitier, in hope that he will give up his pirate business and go home.

But this guy was a _mad_man. There is no way in Port Royal, that he would just jump aboard. It was impossible, even if his pectoral fins were huge. This secret was something that bothered Rensuke more than anything.

"My captain often said, those who don't work should not eat," he began walking on the deck, holding his head high while looking down at the merman.

"Hmph," said Misaki looking back at the captain. "I don't like the sound of this."

"It was never my intention to make you feel calm," he chuckled. "So how about this? You can temporary stay here, but only, and only if you work. Wanted to be my mate? Then you can be one and work just like everyone else does on this ship."

"You keep missing the obvious fact that I lack those two noodles that humans use for walking."

"Well, then you give me no other choice than," he lifted up the merman in bridal style. Misaki let out a surprised yelp and threw his arms around Rensuke's shoulders.

Yoshimine probably weighed more than a grown up shark, but the captain kept his pokerface, and without showing any signs of struggle he started tiptoeing towards the edge of the ship.

"Wait! What do you want to do?" Yoshimine shrieked in panic.

"Isn't it obvious?"

"W-We have a blood-oath! I'm a sailor here, you know?!"

"Yeah, a sailor who can't work. Now get back to the water and entertain the barnacles!"

"I'll do it. I'll work, just don't dare to throw me back!" The merman was desperate. It seemed to Rensuke like and expression of defeat and he was about to turn back when the weight of the merman made him lose balance.

Unsurprisingly, Misaki pulled him down and they both took a cold bath in the sea.

_**SPLASH**_

"Should we get them out of the water?" asked Souma with an indifferent expression.

It took Naoto some time to realize that the question was addressed to him.

"Naaay. It's too priceless to see Rensuke heating up the whole sea with his anger," he chuckled. He enjoyed the moment of superiority and while Naoto would never admit, seeing Rensuke flailing in the sea was way too amusing.

He kind of regretted that he was so hard-hearted with the merman back in Rottingham. That guy really knew how to play with Rensuke.

"Fish them out when they ask for it. Until then, just enjoy the show."

A bit surprised, the boatswain nodded. Wondering how to get the merman out of the water.

::::::::::: :::::::::::

After scolding Yoshimine for being heavier than Moby Dick, and asking for the boatswain's help, Captain Namikawa Rensuke went back to his cabin to think. The first thing that came into his mind was to throw the merman back to the sea, again. There was no need for slackers like him.

However when he was about to confront the boy about this, Rensuke was stopped in his way by the sailors.

The faces of the boys gathering there was full of determination and, for the first time on their voyage they stood up for someone from the crew.

The captain has lost his resolve. After all, if even Wanda was against him, then who was _with_ him?!

"Alright, alright! He can stay!"

Rensuke turned to Misaki who was enjoying himself from the water-filled lifeboat. He didn't want to ask when, why or how the hell had the thought occur to them to use a boat like this.

Either way Misaki's position as the member of the crew was secured.

"Sea urchin, are you going to work or that was just talk to persuade me and everyone else on this ship?!"

"Well, for my part I've already reached my goal." he smiled, not caring about the captain's foul mood. "I don't mind a little work."

He immediately regretted his words a few moments later when a stinky old rug was thrown at his face along with an old broom and a bucket.

"I want this deck to sparkle more than the ballroom in Raimon's palace," he told this without ever seeing the said palace.

"Do I look like a carpenter to you?"

"No, just a dinner ingredient with attitude problem."

::::::::::: :::::::::::

Hours have passed since Rensuke had given out the orders for Yoshimine, and then went to take a nap after the eventful morning. He tried the route of waking up for the second time that day, and without any failure, the kid had managed to ruin it for the second time too.

"The hell did you do?" he asked the merman while wearing a shocked expression.

"Excuse me?" Yoshimine looked back at him. The boy was doing the job Namikawa gave him. Due to having no legs to stand on, he was clutching the lower end of the broom and used it to pull himself closer to the other side of the ship.

He did well, despite being a merman.

However the deck didn't look any better, because now, instead of salt and the usual seagull droppings, the deck was covered with tiny red scales. Namikawa picked up one of the scales from the floor and with long steps; he walked toward the boy, showing him the evidence.

"Could you explain this to me?"

Misaki narrowed his eyes and with the other side of the broom he pushed Namikawa's hand away.

"I do wonder what that could be? Some ancient treasure perhaps?" he narrowed his eyes even further. "Oh, I know this. Aren't you humans used to scratch these things off from the body of my glubber-friends?"

The cynical answer surprised Rensuke as he'd never seen Misaki being in such foul mood. It only occurred to him a few seconds later that the rug he gave to the merman was tied around his stomach area, probably to prevent him from losing more scales.

"You can't speak now, right, captain?" His voice was filled with malice as he pushed the captain back with the broom.

"Does it… hurt?" he asked, giving Misaki and apologetic look.

"Only as much as it would hurt if you tore out your nails," he shot back. "But you know, this is nothing compared to what I had to endure back then. So punish me all you want, I won't change my mind."

This was completely off from Rensuke's plan. He imagined the merman would back off from the job as it was not meant for him, yet it seemed Misaki had seen through their machinations.

The young captain cleared his throat, searching for words, but Misaki curled his lips back, showing his snow white teeth. He smiled but within it, Rensuke could see the pained expression.

"Come on, it hurts, but it's nothing serious."

Surely not, Rensuke murmured to himself as he took away the broom and bucket from the boy.

"I'll go and look for Kouichirou and Tooru," he stated.

"Isn't Tooru our…?" Yoshimine was searching for the right words.

"Yes, he is _my_ cook and surgeon. Also, you'll be working with him from now on," he said, turning back to the merman. "Also, I need someone to clean your mess."

"Just don't forget to bring me food," he shouted after Rensuke.

"Aye, hope you like red snapper. There is an enormous one on my deck right now."

It was their usual banter.

Misaki had asked something, and then Rensuke countered it with a witty or cocky answer.

Someone had been observing the scene from the head of the ship, staying within the shadow given by the crates. The person saw something that could've easily gone unnoticed by the untrained eyes. But nothing was safe from him, if that fact could be used as a dagger.

And right now, it seemed their beloved captain had a soft spot for monsters.

**A/N: This ends another chapter in our story and I'm happy to announce that the fic have passed 30 pages now! Just look how time flies! (Oh, is that the exam month I see on the blue horizon?)**

**Many thanks to Colin and Terra for keeping my hype for the Cap't. It takes some heavy kicks to get me into the writing groove, but seeing your reactions always make my day and inspire me to continue writing. After all they say, if you start doing something motivation will come to you naturally!**

**My deep thanks for all my readers even though some of you like to stay silent after reading chapter. It's okay. **

**Although every single review means the world to me, so please don't hesitate to leave one! It might not seem important to you but for a writer the teensiest one worth a lot.**


	9. Chapter 9

**09\. Finish What You've Started**

If someone ever asked you about the right placement for an aquarium, you would try doing your best in choosing the right place for your little swimming friends, carefully measuring your possibilities while keeping in mind the needs of the fishes.

And this is fine, because this is what you should do in such situations.

Just like finding a new place for the freshly bought flowers, you can't just hide them in the corner, hoping for a bloom. And in a way animals are the same. You have to meet certain conditions to keep them happy.

But when it came to Namikawa's decisions, they always seemed to attract more and more problems.

After all, no human in their right mind would exile a merman to the kitchen.

However since we are talking about Rensuke, who clearly has no idea about fishes and their ideal environment, Yoshimine Misaki ended up in the kitchen, trying to survive the hell for all fish.

::::::::::: :::::::::::

It was like sitting at the slaughterhouse. He was surrounded by fish. Dead fish to be exact. And he had to watch as Tooru ran the tip of the knife through their bodies, gutting out the poor creatures and throwing their innards away.

"It will be good for the soup," he added after he saw Misaki's confused expression. However, he completely missed the horror residing in those dark eyes.

The merman was scared.

He had never seen what humans do with his kind, so he could only imagine that they eat them like merfolk, but this was mass slaughter, especially witnessing everything from that small wooden basin.

Was he the main course? Could that be…?

The kitchen, or the room what the crew of Ornitier named like that, was a rather unfriendly place. Wherever he looked, he saw bags and barrels with unknown content, piled up on each other. In the corner of the room, right next to the window, stood a stone stove. But it took up so little space from the cabin; one could easily mistake it with a storage.

On the wall, various small bottles stood in order, but once again, Yoshimine was unable to guess their content. Probably those were medicines. Or spice. Or dried fish organs.

He tried to avert his mind from Tooru and the knife, but when he was about to observe the barrels, the bigger man turned to him with a small knife and a bucket in his hands.

This was it. The final moment! He will slice his throat, collect his insides and cook them for the crew. He sat there, unable to move or speak. The merman was sure he'd made the biggest mistake in his life. But when he was about to scream, Tooru just handed him the knife and the bucket.

"Don't just sit 'ere. Try peeling those potatoes for the boys." the half-eyed man let out a proud snort. He never had the chance to order people around. "Ya look paler than a jellyfish of the shore, is everything all right?"

"Ye-yeah." he shrugged, giving Tooru a faint smile, then pointed at the table. "I'm just not used to… well… that."

Tooru looked around, but it took him a good moment to notice the fish carcasses.

"Ey, sorry 'bout that. I haven't got the slightest idea that this might creep you out. You ain't 'ave to eat it if ya don't like fish."

"It's not that. I mean, we eat fish too. But why do you have to cut them?" the merman started to become more and more curious about this massacre.

"Well, some humans, well, most humans don't like fish guts. Especially Wanda and the cap't, they are like two noble dandies when it comes to food." While he was talking Tooru tried to show Yoshimine the secret of potato peeling, being extra careful with the merman's inexperienced hands.

"But it's a waste of food, isn't it?" Misaki asked as he was trying to use the new technique. It required more coordination than he thought and he almost ended up cutting his fingers.

"Ye, it would be. But here is the trick. They _do_ eat the innards as soup. So technically, I don't waste a damn thing. Not even their eggs or…" Even though he eye shined like he was telling about the greatest adventure he ever experienced, Tooru suddenly stopped, looked at Yoshimine.

Telling him all the ingredients of this miraculous soup was not the best idea. "Sorry, I got carried away by the blabbering."

They were working in silence after that. Yoshimine hissed a few times when he ended up cutting his fingers, but continued the task he was given. But deep in his mind, he couldn't stop thinking about his goal. He wanted adventures, great storms, fights and now he was sitting in a basin, potato skins peels swimming around him.

This was far away from the revenge he'd planned back then.

And not very pirate-like.

"Collect them in this." Tooru handed him another bucket, nodding with his head towards the remnant potato skins.

"Let me guess, you'll cook the peels too."

"Yer train of thought is right. They make good snacks for the crew."

"Now you made me think about how potatoes taste like." he murmured.

"Their taste is nothing extraordinary. But they're must have food on any ship if you want to eat. Also..." It seemed he just remembered something. Something he planned with his fellow mate.

Tooru quickly reached into the small ragtag cupboard, grabbing a few pieces from his secret foodstash. "Back at Senbayama the captain told us to buy you something," he lied, giving Misaki a few pieces of beef jerkies.

Of course, Namikawa was never involved in buying snacks for the merman.

"What are these?" Misaki was confused at first. He tried to solve the mystery of the thin, deep red jerkies, but none of his answers seemed to fit the mysterious gifts.

"Even if I told you, you couldn't imagine 'em. So just eat 'em, because once one of those scoundrels find their way to the kitchen they'll be gone in no time."

Misaki hesitantly bit the corner of one of the meat pieces, but the taste what followed it was truly indescribable. It was salty, yet sweet, while reminding him of some kind of meat. He looked at Tooru smiling from ear to ear, as he took a bigger bite from the jerky.

The cook could've sworn that he saw tears glittering in the merman's eyes.

"Fantastic! I love these things!" he leant back in the basin, swishing his tail excitedly. But as soon as the wave of happiness disappeared he grew quiet. "But why would Rensuke give me something like this?"

"Well, that sea puppy is not as stonehearted as he shows it. Quite the opposite." he laughed, while keeping his attention on the stove. "Just give him some time and he will surely warm up to you. Furthermore, I think that scallywag likes you more than he shows it."

This statement made the merman chuckle as he was chewing on the last beef jerky. Everyone kept saying that Rensuke needed time, but considering their situation it was impossible to imagine any kind of relationship or bond forming between them.

"He hates me more than anything," he stated.

"Well, if he hates you, then answer me, why did he came running to my kitchen asking me to treat your wounds from cleaning the deck?"

"I…"

"Do ya see now? This is not hate. If he hated you, you would up there, washing the deck over and over again until you had no scales left on your tail."

"But the way he talks to me says the opposite."

"Aren't you doing the same?" Misaki flinched slightly. "You two are always bickering about something. Bit 'tis fine. I haven't seen him acting like this in ages."

Finally, the conversation seemed to reach that point where he could start asking about the captain and his motivation. He was way too young for this position and the way the crew talked about the past made him really curious.

"Did… Did something happen to you back then?" he trailed off into silence for a second. He felt bad for being so nosy, but he had to know.

"I think it's up to him to tell you since he knows more detail about the event, than us. But yes, a few years ago we had it quite rough. I don't want to open the dead man's chest, but if it weren't for Rensuke and Masatsugu, we would've died too, along with the others," Tooru sighed, but regained his confident attitude as soon as he looked at Yoshimine. "But it served as a milestone for us. So don't even start apologizing for asking me."

Misaki nodded.

He still felt bad for asking about it, though. As he watched Tooru reminiscing about the past, he could see worry clouding the man's vision.

_Just what the hell happened on the Ornitier?_

In that moment loud thumping sounds could be heard coming from outside of the kitchen and split seconds later, Murakami kicked the door open; his ponytail came undone from running around the deck in the past ten minutes, warning everyone about the upcoming danger.

"The captain is calling everyone to the bridge." he panted, keeping his balance by firmly gripping de door frame. "Someone has spotted the Dauntless."

"Wait, it can't be the Dauntless. That ship was sunk by the navy last year." Tooru shook his head in disbelief.

"That's it! But it can't be anything else. It has the three blue leaves on the mainsail and all."

"Gunki, wait, but what about the crew? Weren't they all hanged at Blood Island?"

"Don't ask me. The captain only told me, that he has bad feeling about a destroyed ship suddenly resurfacing from the bottom of the sea." he hesitantly shrugged.

"I see." he turned to the confused merman. "Look, Misaki you stay here and no matter what happens don't leave this kitchen."

"But I can fight too!" Misaki shout back, but he was powerless. In both rank, and strength.

"I think it would be better if you stayed here, fishboy," said Gunki. "I like you and all, but you would be in the way if the Dauntless happens to be our enemy."

Tooru ordered Gunki to get his medicines and other equipments from his cabin. The boy ran off without asking anything else. Tooru was about to leave too, holding his basic equipments he was using when Namikawa appeared holding Yoshimine in his arms. As a surgeon he had to be near the clash in case someone needed medical attention.

When the merman called after him, his eyes sparkling from desperation.

"Let me go with you!" Misaki suddenly burst out.

But Tooru only shook his head again with an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry, Yoshimine. But I can't let you injure yourself."

The door closed and with a faint click the cook locked Yoshimine alone in the room. The poor merman just sat there dumbfounded, now knowing whether he should scream in anger or start throwing vegetables towards the door. Both seemed to work, but it wouldn't bring Tooru nor anyone back for him.

He could hear the crew running around like poisoned mice, shouting each other's name, but he couldn't hear one single "Yoshimine" or "Misaki", not even the synonyms Rensuke'd came up in the past days. The ruckus had went on without him.

The name of the ship kept echoing in his mind.

Dauntless. _Such lazy name, _he thought witha forced smile.

He wondered how it looked like. Was it huge, like a barquentine? Or it was a frigate, like the Ornitier? Curiosity was killing him.

At the same time an unfamiliar feeling rose in his chest.

His anger slowly turned into worry. The crew of Ornitier was in danger and he wasn't there to help them in their fight.

"Probably they won't attack us," he mumbled to himself, trying to avert his thoughts from a possible attack. After all, the Dauntless was sunk by the navy so why would they attack a fellow pirate ship? This made no sense.

Unless the ship was copied from the original Dauntless.

Nothing can just re-emerge from the sea, whenever they want. The devil must have been hiding behind the details.

And unfortunately, it seemed his intuition was good, because a half hour later something struck the waves with such force the Ornitier violently rocked from one side to another.

Without question, the Dauntless attacked their ship.

The only one who could've easily got rid of it was exiled into the warm prison. Thoughts started racing in his mind as he tried to find a way out of the galley, but nothing really fit his capacities. Unlocking the door was out of question, burning down the door was just way too risky.

His eyes travelled to the window next to the stove.

In that moment another shoot shook the ship, but this time it came from the Ornitier. Through the glass he could see the ship turning into position, trying to stay out of range. It seemed to work for a while, but then the Dauntless started turning along the Ornitier, restlessly attacking its sides.

_If this goes on, the Ornitier will sink,_ Misaki thought, then started looking around for something that could help him in the fight.

The crew of the Dauntless will regret the day they attacked his mates.

**A/N: And thus The Dauntless attacked the crew, ruining their idle journey. What horrors are waiting for the clueless pirates and their merman? Will Yoshimine reach Namikawa in time or the Ornitier will suffer unrepairable damages thanks to Tooru's decision? And who is the captain of the mysterious pirate ship?**

**I hope we get a chance to meet again and that you'll do me a favour of following the story of these characters' for a little while longer!**

**Until then, please leave a review! It means a lot! Thinking that the first review will be the last is not a bad way to think, but please, surprise me just once! **


	10. Chapter 10

**10\. Hope against Hope**

Probably every pirate in the area knew about the Dauntless and how it met its end on that fine evening. It was one of the most well-known stories among young fledglings, used by old sea dogs as an example of what pirates should _never_ do and repeat in the future.

The legend follows the pirates of the Blue Reef islands who were always longing for honour, and fame so their rivals would speak of them with respect in their voice. But for them it was the most impossible task in the world. One ship and handful of men could hardly ever reach the level of other pirate dens, and the pirates, who lived on the tiny island of Aoba knew this more than anyone. Their small ship was no match to the infamous _Black Waltz_ or Tengawara's pride, _Pleione_. Even the Ornitier could easily knock it over with the wave she could create.

_Beginners' vessel. Cheap boat. _

That's how fellow pirates used to call the _Tribalis_; and this is what pursued the captain, Shougetsu Nozomi to make a fatal decision by taking away the ship that belonged to the navy.

The Dauntless.

However, stealing the Dauntless happened to be a reckless move. The loss of the vessel made the fleet admiral so furious, he'd sent every available ship after Nozomi's crew to sink the Dauntless once and for all to retaliate for the humiliation caused by the lousy pirates. As for the Tribalis? It was destroyed by its own captain as a symbol of saying goodbye to their old life.

Rumours say this catastrophe saved the Ornitier back then from complete destruction, but someone from the navy had yet to confirm this miracle.

Yet, one thing is sure; the Dauntless was sunken by its very ex-owner's days after the heist and to prevent the pirates from Blue Reef islands from further actions their hideout was burnt to ashes. It had become one of the major news on those days, along with the destruction of Marine Snow, another infamous pirate den.

After that, it's no wonder that everyone was quite shocked about the sudden reappearance of a sunken ship.

Aboard the Ornitier, Rensuke tried to keep the ship facing towards the Dauntless with all of his strength. If they were to fight side by side, the Ornitier might've gotten more than one hit from the incoming cannonballs and thinking about the previous clash with the Artemicion made him really careful about his decisions. While this position would make any ship defenceless and render it unable to make a counterattack, the Ornitier had some tricks up in her sleeves, like the two front cannons below the bowsprit. They were far from the strength or size of the main cannons, positioned at the ship's sides, but the cannons were only there for keeping their opponents preoccupied with the incoming shoots.

After sending everyone to their position Wanda ran to the captain, asking for further instructions. he could've handled it alone, but he feared that Rensuke would think that he is playing make-believe as secondary leader.

"Captain, what now? Should we launch a frontal attack or run?"

Namikawa looked at him, his eyes showing pure anger, probably towards the fellow pirate ship.

"Attack. I don't care how, but I want to see the Dauntless going back to its place."

"Why?"

"Do you remember the oath we had to learn when Masatsugu first took us for a short trip?"

Wanda looked puzzled for a while. It was not forbidden for pirate ships to attack each other. After all, they weren't hail-fellows to begin with. Their mutual respect came from piracy, but this didn't prevent them from pesky little sea battles.

"I only remember the parts regarding our behaviour on the ship, why?"

"Look at that!" the captain nodded with his head towards the jolly roger and this was the moment when Wanda finally saw through Rensuke's anger. His expression shifted.

"It's the same…" he murmured. Namikawa nodded. Wanda was well aware of what that meant.

The Jolly Roger was none other than the one their group used. The pirates of Aoba were never associated with them so they had absolutely no right to use that flag; this was the first suspicious movement from their part. The second one was the act of attacking the Ornitier who was bearing the same symbol.

Apparently the flags on a pirate ship acted as a sign for those who joined the same group. It had the simple meaning: _"I'm a friend. Don't shoot."_

By attacking them, the Dauntless not only mocked the pirate tradition, but broke an important law.

_Provocation_. That was the first thing Wanda could think of. There was no way anyone from their own group would attack Namikawa. After all, the Ornitier was one of the main ships of Marine Snow and the only one that survived the catastrophe what strike them few years ago.

"This might be a trap," the firstmate said, worriedly looking at the captain.

"I know. This is why we have to end this bad joke here and now! A disrespectful ghost ship like this must go down today, even if I have to punch a hole in its side with an axe. No one in this world has the right to bear our symbol on their flag!"

After his captain's outburst, no further words would come so Wanda decided to step back. Rensuke started to scare him with his destructive attitude. The captain's anger slowly took the best of him and it seemed that the Dauntless reached her goal. In the midst of chaos the Ornitier was about to meet its end if someone didn't prevent it.

So the quartermaster silently went back to the crew and took matters into his hands. If it wasn't for him Rensuke would have made another great mistake, risking everything he'd been working hard until now. He had to admit, this wasn't surprising at all seeing how the dear captain was easily manipulated by a monster.

It was fine until the merman brought difficulties into their monotonous every days, constantly making a fool out of Rensuke, but lately things have changed. Now the captain who was so eager to get rid of a merman did everything he could just to keep him aboard.

What a hypocrite.

Not even this would change anything.

Everything went too well, one would say, according to the plans. But now the Dauntless was about to shatter the web he weaved with so much care. And there was no way he would ever let Rensuke ruin it, because he lunged at any ship bearing their flag.

"I won't let the ship go down with Rensuke's idiocy," he growled pushing one of the canons back to its place.

Just like Rensuke, everyone else was disturbed from seeing their flag on an enemy ship. The scars of past were present on everyone's heart and the trident reminded them of the reason of their homeless pirate life.

They made no attempt to hide their feelings.

In the meantime, Yoshimine Misaki was in a really awkward and _tight_ situation. From his small basin the window seemed to be much bigger, or at least wider. Reality's first gift was the following: the window was too narrow for his hips, but by the time this small little obstacle stopped Yoshimine in his mission, slipping back to the kitchen was out of question.

"Damned thundering typhoons!" he cursed as he tried to pull out his lower part from the frame of the kitchen window. His only equipment consisted of a knife and the hammer Tooru used to whack the fish on the table.

One would easily mistake him for such fish.

He was hanging out of the window like freshly washed clothes on a beautiful sunny day, the enemy in question was right in front of him so was the water, but both were unreachable from his current position. In his frustration he hit the side of the ship with his weapons like an angry child who got coal for Christmas.

He wanted to help them. He genuinely wanted to help his mates. And what was their answer? Locking him in the kitchen, saying that it's for his sake, without thinking about_ his_ skills. He could've swam there in no time, hitting a few holes in the bottom of the ship without the Ornitier risking its safety.

That was the power of a merman.

He stared at the water growling and cursing about his state.

But as Misaki looked down he noticed something extraordinary about the sea below him. The water was foamy, and it turned brown for some unknown reason. The movements of the dark brown smudges were unnatural; they swam rounds around him, sometimes stopping without ever reaching the surface.

Tik, tik, tik. The walls suddenly shook from an impact, but it was no cannonball. The source of the percussion originated from the water.

It didn't take him two seconds to realize that he wasn't alone with his ship-sinking plan and there was no way that fish could swim like this. They were too organized for that.

Again the sound that reminded him of crackling firewood, repeated, but this time two hands reached out of the water to grab the side of the ship.

When the first enormous fish head appeared on the surface of the water his irritated thoughts were no more, and had been replaced by a more frightening source of strength. Fear. Humans with fins of fish were normal. They were merfolk, legendary creatures who ruled the seas, but the creature gazing back at Yoshimine was anything but legendary.

It was a monster. Wordlessly opening and closing its mouth and hitting the Ornitier with its human-like slimy arms. The creature had the face of a fish, but it held some human features or expressions. It growled at the merman and tried to reach him somehow, but fortunately the distance between the sea and the window was too big.

For now.

"Oh god…!" Yoshimine shrieked as the creature used its claws to climb up on the side of the ship, pressing its claws into the wooden planks. Soon others followed their leader climbing towards the first target they noticed.

"I suppose fighting isn't bad once in a while." Yoshimine said and gripped his seemingly unusable weapons. He laughed at the absurdity of the situation, but if Fate gave him this card then he might as well use it to save his friends.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-,-

**A/N: And this closes the second part of the Dauntless arc, also starts a new one within it. Somehow this is the tenth chapter. I have no idea how did I reach it so fast, to be honest. **

**Also, we have new enemies appearing in this chapter who seems to share some common traits with our merman. Are they really that vicious as Yoshimine sees it? Can he defeat them using a small hammer and a knife?**

**Where is the butter when you have a merman stuck in your window frame?**

**I'll see you in the next chapter!**

**Please, review if you liked the chapter. I know it is silly, I know this story doesn't uses the regular cast of characters OR ships, but it would make my heart flutter if once in the history of this archive I would get more than one review for chapter. **

**Prove me that miracles do exist!  
**


	11. Chapter 11

**11\. Unacceptable People**

The fishmen kept climbing towards Misaki at an unimaginable speed, their claws left small marks on the Ornitier and not long after the first had crawled out of the water; the merman had to realize that he is dealing with a horde of those monsters, not only one or two. All of them were gawking at him, showing off their tiny uneven sharp teeth and grey tongue.

One glance and Yoshimine started questioning what made him feel sicker. Hanging from the window or looking at those muddy fish. The creatures probably caused more disgust in him with their human-like faces and limbs.

But before he could travel further with his thought, his consciousness was pulled back to reality.

"…!"

He readied his knife and made a deep cut on the face of the fish that climbed too close to him. The monster glared at him with its empty eyes, dark brown fluid oozed from the wound, but the fish didn't fall. Its claws were stuck deeply into the wooden plank, preventing it from losing its balance.

_Belch! Get away from me!, _thought Yoshimine as he gave a final blow to the creature's head with his hammer. Finally, the monster fell back to the sea.

The thought that these things would've found him completely defenceless if he didn't try taking part in the battle, made his current state much better. Sure, he was a merman struggling to escape from the window frame, but at the same time, he served as a line of defence on the ship. Suddenly, being up there seemed to be better, than swimming in the sea.

Yet before he could've finished his train of thoughts another fish came up to him and barred its claws at his face. Yoshimine's heart stopped beating for a moment as the air generated by brown claws reached him. Only a few inches were between him and the attacker.

He quickly tossed the fish back to where it belongs by slamming his short knife into its head. He repeated the steps over and over again, to get rid of the invading monsters, but every time he seemingly killed one, another took its place. Yoshimine started to get sick of this; his hands were shaking from fatigue and shock, but his instincts kept him alerted, strengthening his grip on the weapons.

Probably he would've kept this up if his dear Captain Namikawa didn't turn the ship's side towards the Dauntless, bringing the merman to the frontlines of the battle.

_Great timing as always…,_ he had thought as the enemy ship came into the view.

"Fire!" he could hear Kaizu's voice piercing through the noise of the battle and the cannons sent heavy cannonballs flying through the air. Until now, that side of the ship was safe from the smoke generated by the cannons, but this time Yoshimine met the enormous amount of the suffocating gas.

_I'm down here, jerks!,_ he wanted to shout but the moment he opened his mouth he gulped down a big doze of gunsmoke what not only made him unable to speak, but prevented him from fighting as the series of heavy coughs urged his lungs to get rid of the black smoke.

With eyes hazy from tears, he peered down to the monsters, but their attacks have stopped for now. Even those seemingly dumb fishmen knew to avoid smoke and they were all waiting for their time.

In that moment explosions could be heard and grey smoke enveloped the Dauntless. They countered their attack. The air shook, as he watched pieces of rubble falling off from the Ornitier's side. But there was something that bothered him more than the damage on the ship, the window frame moved out of its place and only good luck kept his body in the same place.

Another row of fire could be heard. This time, he brought his arms up out of reflex as if foretelling where the explosion will hit next time. The side of the ship was crushed this he fell out of the window. Yet, this newly gained freedom only brought problems for him.

Yoshimine crashed into the water with his back, but never appeared again after the impact. No one was there to witness this scene, and now there was no one to keep the creatures away from the ship.

::::::::::: :::::::::::

Namikawa was sure the Dauntless will give them a serious headache, but to think that it'll fight back so vehemently… Now this was surprising, probably more surprising than the fact that it attacked them in the first place.

"Full-sail!" he ordered the crew and in the next few moments all of their sails were catching the strong winds. This meant that they could slip away from the Dauntless' lazy and slow attacks, but attacking back became challenging work as the ship and the captain had to work together with the wind. While it provided them the much needed extra speed, the wind also had its own negative effect by making turns and aiming extremely hard and tiring. Though, he had confidence in the skills of his crew. When he looked at them he felt proudness enveloping his mind. They were so young, but everyone did their best to win this fight.

"What are you further instruction, captain?" Saruga asked him, readjusting the glasses that almost fell off his nose bridge.

"We'll keep attacking! If the Dauntless survives that, then we will board the ship."

"And what comes after that?" Wanda made a snarky remark, but Rensuke decided to shut out his negative tone. He tightened his grip on the ship's wheel, but the sound of something breaking left him with deep unrest within his heart. Fighting wasn't the right thing to do, and he knew it. The Ornitier, while she was a great vessel, was not meant to be a battle ship as her strength lied in her speed rather than firepower. It was a ship made for quick boarding and escaping. But withstanding shoots were not among her best abilities.

_I'm sorry Captain…_

For some reason he had the feeling that the previous owner of the vessel was turning in his grave. They've barely paid for the repair works and the ship looked like a pile of junk. Broken rails, holes in the deck and only god knows what else…

The deck instantly reminded him of Yoshimine's cleaning madness and its futility, but before he could ask Tooru about him the ship shook and unearthy creatures crawled onto the deck. Before Rensuke could comprehend the sight of brown creatures, a series of shots echoed in the air and the fishmen collapsed, writhing in agony thanks to their wounds.

Gunki was holding his blunderbuss at the level of his eyes, still standing in the position for aiming. But when it came to shooting something Gunki didn't ask questions as monsters probably didn't follow this tradition either. So as soon as they appeared on the deck he took matters into his hands and pulled the trigger of his trusty blunderbuss.

First, the monsters seemed to collapse from the shots, but after few seconds they once again stood there like nothing happened. The same dark brown blood running down their sides, creating small streams.

The tides have turned and the ship, what previously avoided damages, was caught in its own chaos and the Dauntless' attacks. With monsters tearing apart the unity of the crew and cannonballs doing the same with the Ornitier, they've been fighting a one-sided battle.

"Where did these things came from?" asked Funaki as he cut off the tail of the nearest monster with his cutlass. The fishman let out a sharp cry of confusion and pain, but seemingly hasn't felt the loss of its precious limb. The dark haired boy gulped when the creature counter-attacked, he could barely jump away from the sharp claws what were flung rapidly towards his way.

"Do you believe that if I knew, I wouldn't be here today?" next to Funaki Yuuto, a tanned boy with ginger hair shot the monster, it was Fujita Sumitomo. "Bullseye!" He announced in a victorious tone when the monster fell face-forward.

"But thankfully you forgot to check your horoscope for today." Yuuto teased his partner. "Anyho'! We need to come up with a better plan if we want to protect this ship."

"How about escaping from the Dauntless while we deal with the fishies on the deck? We could easily outrun them in open water!" recommended Fujita, a smirk appearing on his face.

"This won't happen." muttered Naoto with furrowed brows, before going back to his job and organizing the upcoming attack.

From the Jacob's ladder Kaizu ordered them to fire the cannons once the ship was swimming in a better angle.

Vaguely sensing something, the small boy gazed down from his throne searching for the invaders. He had to lean out to get a better view on the side of their ship, but what he saw after that was way worse than the few sluggish monster.

_Crap…_

Terrified, he automatically called for the others, but they were too invested in the fight. No one had noticed the pitch black smoke coming out of the kitchen, the very place where Misaki was locked at the beginning of the clash.

"What's the big emergency?"

Tairamaru ran to the small sailor, seeing his frightened signals. The boy was not good at fighting so all he could do was to assist the crew with small tasks, acting as a messenger between them.

"… I think Misaki is in trouble…" his voice was uncertain, should he ask Tairamaru to check on the merman? Though, he didn't have to ponder too much, because without asking him, the white-haired boy was already at Tooru's side, asking him about the kitchen key.

"Did something happen?" asked Wanda when he noticed that on Kaizu's side of the deck the flow of information and the orders have suddenly stopped.

"The side of the ship was seriously damaged, sir." the small boy reported in an official tone. "The hit landed near the kitchen so Tairamaru went downstairs to check on Misaki and make sure that none of our recent _attackers_ made their way into the ship through the hole."

He was waiting for Wanda to scold him for acting so self-willed, but his reaction was a sincere nod. "I'll send someone after Tairamaru, just in case."

::::::::::: :::::::::::

The corridors were clean and no monsters have made their way into the ship, or so he thought. Tairamaru was nowhere near the kitchen so it would've been foolish from him if he came to this conclusion so early. But he couldn't help thinking that Misaki is alright, since everything was so calm inside of the ship. It was like walking inside of a sound-proof room, what protected him from the harsh reality.

_Of course he is alright, we're talking about Yoshimine Misaki after all, _he thought confidently as he was walking towards the kitchen.

Just as Tooru told him, the key was still in the lock what meant that Misaki couldn't leave the place even if he wanted to. _He couldn't escape, even if he wanted to_. His fingers were clutching the doorknob, but for some reason he didn't want to open the door yet. For some reason, he knew what will greet him at the other side and it was a sight he wanted to avoid as long as he could.

But by delaying the present he put Misaki's life on the line. If the monsters had made their way into the kitchen their first target would be the helpless merman.

"Hey. Is everything alright?" asked a voice. The person who ended up with the task of accompanying Tairamaru was Souma.

"Y-Yea."

"Then open the door already," he urged the boy.

The instant he did as he was told, a salty wind ruffled his hair. To their surprise the room only kept _one _of the monsters at bay, but as soon as the poor creature lunged at them, Souma pulled the trigger and shot through the its head. However Yoshimine was nowhere to be found. The boys looked into every nook and cranny, hoping that he just hid somewhere; after all he was far from immobilized and the tiny hope lingered through the air that he'd found a way to escape from the disaster.

"Pr-probably he just fell out of the hole?!" Tairamaru tried to come up with a solution, but nothing seemed to explain the hole in the kitchen's wall, the dead fishman and the merman's disappearance. he hesitantly looked at the stove, bright red embers smouldered on the ground around it creating smoke as the wind breathed new life into the coal pieces.

"I doubt that," Souma answered when he went to the hole. "I doubt he wanted to leave in the middle of the fight, also that would mean that he had to drag himself to the window. He is strong, so it's not _impossible_, I guess. But how would he reach the windowsill? I daresay, he was sitting here, waiting the end of the storm, when the wall went KABOOM and the fish came in."

"That's not the problem and you know it." Tairamaru stopped the detective from making more deductions, by focusing his attention to a more important task. "We have to tell the Cap't."

"Seriously? Taira, he is about to get a stroke from the incoming problems and you want to add oil to the fire? Are you out of your mind?"

"Is it better if we just go up and lie to him? Yeah, let's sugarcoat the fact that someone is missing! No worries here, he will get that damn stroke after we've dealt with the Dauntless and the monsters. Nothing is better than being shocked three times a day in a row," he shouted angrily, even surprising himself on the way. But how could Souma tell such stupidity? He couldn't understand.

Souma having understood Tairamaru's anger seemed to tear away his confidence. All he could do was to stare blankly at the shorter boy, glasses slipping down from his nosebridge.

"I'm sure he is okay…" he muttered at last.

"Me too, but the Captain has to know about this, now! Not after the end of the battle."

Souma hesitantly nodded, gazing at the Dauntless what became perfectly visible through the hole. He couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off. No, it wasn't the flag or anything like that. The boy grew suspicious of the series of strange coincidences what happened in these short hours.

He ran his gaze over the area, but seemingly no one was controlling the vessel. Her sails caught the wind, but from the opposite side, making the ship goes slower on full sail. Any proper captain would've guided the ship to a secure position, to avoid leaving holes in their defence. But not the Dauntless.

The picture still missed a few puzzle pieces, and connections here and there, but Souma had to realize the bigger picture was more horrifying than he originally thought.

"Have you noticed… that ever since the monsters attacked our ship the Dauntless is surprisingly quiet?"

"Now that you mention it…"

Tairamaru froze when he looked at the Dauntless. He didn't notice it until now, but the attacks have truly ceased after the first monster appeared on the deck. Occasionally, the Dauntless would still fire at them, but those were nothing but small mosquito bites.

The realization sent shivers down his back. They were in an impossible situation.

**A/N:** Whoa, this chapter was sure long also it took years to write. Looking up the vocabulary for the ship was a true nightmare, and interesting, but terrible nightmare. Though I have to admit playing Grandia and the pirate sequence of Sly 3 had helped me a lot. I just wish the story won't have more open water sea battles. I'm fine with boarding, but with this… So many things to keep track of. *falls and chooses not to get up*

Before I forget, many thanks to **Raspberrydevil** for pointing out a huge formatting error in the story. Hopefully the series of : will do the trick now, because the site has eaten both my line breaker arrows and the STARS. (Come on. How the hell could I use STARS in a mean way? All books use them.) I went back and corrected these errors, so now everything should appear just fine, no sudden changes in sceneries and characters.

Saying anything about the next chapter would be spoiler-ish, so instead let me thank you for reading this chapter. Reviews are always welcomed.


	12. Chapter 12

**12\. Dust to Dust**

The boys have reported their observations to their beloved captain, who could confirm his previous suspicions about the Dauntless' strange behaviour, but still refused to acknowledge the fact, that the strange wave of attack came from the said vessel. Unfortunately, he wasn't in the mood for empty guesses and theories. If Tairamaru and Souma had some kind of evidence, then his reaction would've been different.

However, upon hearing what happened to Misaki, his face seemed to lose all colour and the feeling of worry had made its way to his head. He wanted to ask again Tairamaru, just to make sure that he'd told him the truth, but the suffocating feeling had prevented him from talking. It was like fighting a pill, that'd stuck in his throat.

"Are you sure he isn't just hiding somewhere?" he asked questioningly, but they only shook their head with a defeated expression.

"We've looked for him everywhere in the kitchen, but he disappeared. Hopefully, he only fell back into the sea it would be bad if those things caught him."

"Y-Yeah," Rensuke nodded hesitantly. The news had shocked him, but he had to stay collected, ready to give out orders if the Dauntless starts another wave of attack. Nothing said that it couldn't happen the moment he went down to the kitchen to search for Yoshimine with the others, and while Wanda was a great first-mate, even he wouldn't be able to handle the lack of order in this sea-battle.

First thing first, he had to get the rest of the crew to safety while keeping the ship in the area. "Search through that room again," he gave out the order for Tairamaru and Souma. "And make sure none of those monsters infiltrate our kitchen again!"

"Awright, captain!" they said in unison, then rushed back into the heart of Ornitier.

With his mates being far away from him, Rensuke couldn't help but let out a deep sigh. He knew it. God, he knew that keeping a merboy on his deck will be a major pain, but the thought that he would worry more for him in this short span of time than he did for the entire crew in the past years…

Now that was absurd.

And thanks to Misaki, boarding the ship became the best possible option. If he was swimming around the ship, they would risk him getting injured by the shots coming from the enemy vessel. But something was not right about the Dauntless and Namikawa took this as a bad omen.

They ceased attacking, so that meant the crew was probably prepared for close combat. It would've been a foolish move from their part if they just boarded a ship they knew nothing about. Especially after the attack that came from below the ship a few minutes ago.

Greeting those fish monsters on the Ornitier seemed to be better in terms of strategy and logic and while some little scoundrel inside his head was strictly against his decision, trying to change his mind, Rensuke had to think about the crew as a whole.

"Cap't, have they found Misa?" asked Kaizu with faint worry in his voice. The short boy managed to slip away from his position when the attacks stopped.

"No, not yet," murmured Namikawa, almost unconsciously. The Dauntless, with its mocking jolly roger, had his full attention now.

Another wave of cannonballs left the Ornitier, but this time there was a difference, though. It was completely normal if the ship shook after an attack, after all, depending on their shoots the shot affected their balance too. It was similar to using giant guns.

But the Dauntless wobbled like a drunken rubber duck and this was unacceptable from a ship that previously performed such swift movements in battle.

"The Dauntless is sinking." the captain whispered. Such movements meant that the ship had problems with keeping its balance and this could only happen to a top-class vessel if water made its way into the hold. It slowly pulled down the ship, but also acted as deadweight and with every attack they risked the balance of heir ship. Anytime they fired their cannons the momentum could've pushed back the ship _**and**_ the water and if they weren't careful the water could easily flow to the opposite side making the vessel fall to its side.

"Wanda, we will keep attacking the ship from afar!"

"What? So we are not going to board the Dauntless?" the other man answered plainly.

"No?"

"Not even a tiny bit of boarding? Like, scratching its sides to take a look at the crew? You know just to show them our love and all."

"Wanda, no matter what angle I try to look at it, boarding the Dauntless stays out of question. It's dangerous; we know nothing about it, so my answer remains; _no_. The Ornitier will stay at this very distance and shoot that ghost ship back to the bottom of the sea."

"You know, that was rather encouraging."

Wanda looked disappointed by the lack of action, but he carried the message to everyone on the ship without any further complaint. The other crewmembers seemed to lose their fighting morale after he kept telling the same answer to everyone who asked about Yoshimine's whereabouts.

_I don't know._

::::::::::: :::::::::::

His consciousness was abruptly pulled back into reality by the pain he felt when his back met the ground. His hands were still gripping the knife and the hammer for some reason, but the numbing pain coming from his dorsal fin prevented him from going any further with that thought. In fact, his thoughts became rather sluggish.

He was up there and now he was down here? How?

There was an explosion. After that, another one and he fell, and it hurt like hell. Misaki struggled to get a clearer view of the aching point but what he saw was not promising in his current position. The previously mentioned dorsal fin was broken and shattered. He really wanted to cry, because the broken bone sent down a numbing pain in his spine whenever he tried to move. Would that help? No. Crying would only make him lose his head.

_I have to get up._

Yoshimine collected his strength and ignored the torturing pain. It would have been so much easier if his hands were free, but he wanted to keep his equipment just in case he needed it. Above him, the water was radiating from the light of the sun, so it caused him no trouble to find the two battling ship, which casted huge shadows in the sea. The Ornitier had a gently arched keel so it was easy to distinguish her from every other ship, what was rather sturdy and rectangular.

Anyone would have chosen to swim back to their own ship, but sadly Misaki liked to form a completely opposing side and instead of running back to the Ornitier he started padding towards the Dauntless with an uncertain balance. Without his dorsal fin, manoeuvring and swimming in a straight line was almost impossible, even if he still had the strength to swim like he regularly did.

"Once I'm there, I don't have to swim and probably Rensuke will board the ship, like any proper pirate would do that way I won't have to swim all the way back..." he murmured flatly, unaware of the fact that he was being followed. He was way too preoccupied with his own misery to notice the shadows following his movements from the bottom of the sea.

Even though most of the monsters were destroyed by the crew those who fell back into the water didn't die. They were injured, but the damages didn't prevent them from tracking down their prey, especially if it was so slow and vulnerable. As for Yoshimine he could only see the ship before him, who in their right mind would check the abyss, anyway? But the fish couldn't swim after him. No matter how hard they tried to jump towards the surface their injuries and the unnatural body made it hard for them to even leave the ground.

The merboy finally reached the keel of the Dauntless and he started looking for a weak element at the bottom of the ship. He was really determined about helping his mates in his own way, even if it was only a small hole or two. It could make a difference in the outcome of the battle.

If only Namikawa would stop shooting at him…!

If he managed to find a spot where he could loosen the layers of tar where the ship was previously repaired. With a little luck, he could make tiny holes and give free way for the water, what would eventually break through the hold. With the right equipment the holes would be big enough to sink the ship in a half hour or so, but with his tiny knife Yoshimine was happy if he could make on or two smaller gaps.

With careful movements he scraped out tiny black pieces, but even this was not enough to hit through the wall before him. In the main time, the sharp pain had changed into a constant numbing feeling so he had to take longer breaks between each piece of tar.

The hammer appeared to be completely useless. He couldn't swing it like Tooru and the water prevented him from using it properly.

Another impact shook the ship and took big chunks of the ship's side. But the damage was way too high to make any serious difference or help Yoshimine with his plan. If only he could've give it a good kick...! It was laughable that people wanted to use those noodles to walk and dance, when it could serve as an extra weapon. Though, probably it would be just as useless as his hammer if he used it underwater.

Then again, if he had legs, he would be flailing there like a dying guppy. It's not like he didn't have any problems like this in his current situation. He let out a laugh when he noticed that keeping himself in the same place was getting harder and harder. It wasn't the current that got stronger. Indeed, in this case his strength started leaving him bit by bit.

_Just a little bit, just move a little bit, please_; he urged his fin to move, but the appendage only listened to the currents, lifelessly swaying in the water.

"I have to show them that I'm worthy of being there! I'm not just some fish out of the water who keeps tagging along because he needs to be protected!" he kept shouting those words, mostly to keep himself together and avert his attention from the useless fin. However even his newly found determination couldn't keep him in one place. His breathing became paced as he tried to focus on his job.

Lots of tiny black pieces of tar were floating around him, but it didn't do any justice for the Dauntless because his current equipment was not meant for such work. They did well in battle and the knife cut the rough skin of the fishmen better than any sword could, but the tar was too hard even for this mighty weapon.

Soon, Yoshimine had to admit he was tilting at windmills.

It seemed Namikawa had no plans on ramming the Ornitier into the Dauntless, because his captain kept shooting at the ship like a madman. Was he really this unimportant in terms of help? Sure, he had his reasons, but seeing the pirates fighting without him made Yoshimine think.

The hammer slowly slipped out of his hand as he watched the Ornitier getting farther away from the Dauntless, its black shadow became so distant he could hardly see it from his current spot. He was waiting for its final blow, but surprisingly the last impact came from the other side of the Dauntless and it made a gigantic hole on the side of the ship.

Between the falling planks, wet ash and the cargo of the ship, he noticed an unusual object, swimming in the water. It was a white haired boy, wearing blue-rimmed goggles. He made a frightened expression when he noticed Yoshimine in the water but his main concern seemed to be staying alive in this mess, so he kept swimming away from the merman. What the boy forgot to calculate into his plans that the ship tilted to the opposite side. So, while he was getting farther away from Yoshimine, he swam back to the sinking ship.

"Wait, if you do that you'll be crushed by the ship!" Yoshimine tried to stop the boy, but his voice couldn't reach him underwater. His ears began to twitch violently in fear as the boy started sinking into the abyss. Even if the human was a good swimmer, he wasn't fast enough to reach the surface.

Yoshimine sighed and slightly closed his eyes. The boy was either a hostage or a sailor from the Dauntless, if he caught him then that would earn him some respect.

"It's sink or swim," he shrugged, throwing away the knife too and lunging toward the boy. Without his fin, he found it hard to swim as fast as he wanted. Whenever he was about to change directions, the numb fin prevented him from taking sharp turns and with the sinking ship above their head this tiny injury deemed to be more dangerous than any bleeding wound.

When he reached the human, the boy looked at him with pure fear in his eyes and he tried to shove the merman away with his remaining strength.

"….?"

"We have to get you to the surface. Now! So I would be really thankful if you stopped kicking me."

The unknown sailor was confused and stopped moving when Yoshimine firmly gripped him by his arms. After a few desperate trying the boy started helping Yoshimine, acting as the navigator for the two of them. Despite the pain he must've felt in his lungs, the boy did his best to avoid any collapsing planks and rubbles, pulling away the merman whenever they surrounded them. If he was about to give up the fight, then he just glanced to the abyss and continued swimming. His expression was pained, but Yoshimine couldn't determine why as it seemed to hide a much deeper reason than his current situation. The merman couldn't see the fishmen deep down, but it appeared that the sailor was very well aware of their existence.

By the time they've reached the surface the Dauntless was almost swallowed by the ocean. Only its sails were floating on the water, along with the lighter cargo and empty crates. Yoshimine tensed up for the second, when he looked around and he thought the Ornitier was nowhere to be found, but his eyes quickly caught the sight of the pompous white sails behind him. He couldn't help but smile at the thought of returning to the ship. What more, the ship had its anchor in the water.

"I hope you don't mind if we return to my ship," he tried to show a cocky grin, but he was way too tired for jokes now. The boy tightened his grip around the merman's shoulder, but didn't say a word.

_Probably too tired to speak…_

:::::: ::::::

In contrast of the calm morning, the winds of twilight were strong, ruffling the waves as they blew across the sea. In normal conditions Namikawa Rensuke would have enjoyed the refreshing reward after the fight, but right now he felt that the sea was the perfect reflection of his feelings.

They won the battle without any major injuries, but they've lost someone along the way and this made him restless. Who would've thought that the Dauntless will land a hit on the kitchen? He kept walking around the deck, inspecting every inch in the sea whenever he thought no one was looking at him.

Sometimes there was nothing to be done. But only this time, he wished the world changed for at least a day.

He turned around when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Is everything okay, cap't? You've been staring at the sea for at least an hour now."

It was Nagisa. He should've been downstairs helping the others to repair the ship's side, but the captain's disharmony couldn't go unnoticed by him.

"Yeah, I'm good," he broke into a fake smile.

"But you've been thinking about Misaki, right?"

Namikawa considered again whether he should answer to Nagisa, but he didn't want to shoo away the boy just because he was right and this annoyed him.

"Do you think he will return to the ship?" he asked back, simply ignoring the Nagisa's question in the end.

"That boy is more stubborn than you, just give him some time and he will climb back to the deck in the middle of the night, claiming to be the captain of this bloody ship," he laughed at his own imagination. A merman as quartermaster was hilarious, but not unthinkable, but if he was aiming for the captain's seat… Now, that would've been quite the show.

A tiny smile appeared on Namikawa's face. It was barely visible but probably he too, had a good time imagining the ridiculous scene where Misaki ordered everyone around from his boat filled with water.

"What has the world come to?" sighed Rensuke, combing through his long bangs with his fingers.

"If you mean how one of the most aesthetic creatures in the sea lore ended up on this dirty deck, I have no idea." To this statement Rensuke couldn't help but chuckle. Aesthetic?! Sure. "But I have to admit, I'm thankful for him joining the crew."

"Thankful?" he muttered, glaring at the paler boy.

"Uhum. Ya know, things have gotten lively around us and it's good t'see that you're not just here to order us around like some kind of navy general," shrugged Nagisa.

"What do you know?" Namikawa retorted immediately, stepping toward the boy in an attacking manner. He looked at Nagisa with irritation.

"More than you, at least," the low voice coming from his sailor surprised the captain. "Ever since that merman came here, the old you came back. We felt that the captain was actually the part of the gang!"

"…." All Rensuke could do was to see his mate venting his anger on him.

"You are strong, we know. But you don't have to hide anything from us. ANYTHING. You have a crew to help you," Nagisa whispered sharply.

"Yeah, I know. But understand that there are times when not even my crew can help me," he tossed out carelessly after he got fed up by Nagisa's words. He understood the message; there was no need to speak about it anymore.

"Aye, at least now you know my opinion," the boy decided to retreat from the fight, before the captain threw him off from the deck in his blind anger. He smiled and continued, "It's only the matter of time until he shows up, so don't start blaming yourself for his disappearance, yet."

Before Namikawa could react to these words Nagisa was already on his way to the kitchen to help with the repair works. With the fluff-haired boy gone, Namikawa was left alone with his thoughts. The approaching veil of the night lent a melancholic tone to the sea, what caused him to start thinking about the Dauntless and the afternoon's events. Everything was so chaotic.

First, the ship. How could they use the emblem of their village? It was their jolly roger and the only ship that had the right to bear that symbol was none other than the Ornitier. Of course if there were other survivors then that would change the situation, but wouldn't explain why the Dauntless attacked its sister-ship.

The second thing, what disturbed his peace was Misaki and his miraculous disappearance. It happened so suddenly and he really regretted that he gave out an order to lock him. He was overprotective because Misaki couldn't fight along them, but did he really need it? Namikawa kept asking this question from himself.

"Am I the only one who's having some sort of déja vu here?" a familiar voice asked him from below. Yoshimine grinned a fearless grin as their eyes met. The boy next to Yoshimine averted his gaze from the captain, but he couldn't care less.

"Yoshimine…?! How?" It felt like he haven't uttered this name for decades.

"I can't drown so easily."

"Wait right there, I'll get the others."

"At least you could throw me a lifesaver." Misaki whined from the sea, but Namikawa was nowhere to be seen and his request had found deaf ears. "You better get ready for explaining this attack."

The boy looked scared, but all he could do was to shake his head in silence.

**A/N: First part of the giga-chapter I've been working on lately! The second one will be much shorter because it's going to focus on the crew (finally). This one is almost 4000 words long so I'm still rather worried that it's going to scare away some people. It happens a lot, sadly.**

**Reviews are always welcomed. Especially now, that the story have reached its 60****th**** page. This is almost the length of a light novel and we're still nowhere near the end.**


	13. Chapter 13

**[13.] Counting Stars**

"Just hold still for a minute." he ordered the merman, whose body was too long for the shabby bed. He was resting his head on the small pillow, but from his waist everything became problematic and the ship doctor had to put crates and clothes under his tail to keep it in a straight line. However Yoshimine was less cooperative when it came to the aching pain pulsing in his back.

"What? No way. Tooru, you can't just touch my fin because you want it. Not like that. Do you have any idea about the pain you cause?" The merman tried to raise his head, but the moment his face left the pillow it was pushed back by a strong hand.

"I do. But I'm here to treat your injury and if you keep flapping like a stubborn slimy eel then probably you should say your final goodbye to swimming," said Tooru, reinforcing the makeshift bed under the merman's tail.

This seemed to dishearten Yoshimine. He was laying on the second bed in Tooru's room and mini-infirmary. It was smaller than the kitchen, but much comfortable and told Misaki almost everything he didn't know about the medic (and cook) yet. On the wall Tooru had a big poster where he had collected the most important provisions they needed to keep on the ship if they wanted to avoid scurvy and other nasty pirate plagues. Above Yoshimine's bed there was a bigger poster picturing the outline of a human, with drawings of their innards. It was clearly drawn by someone from the crew, because the paper shown signs of water, filled with colourful ink splotches and small notes Yoshimine couldn't decipher. It looked like the person who made it kept putting it away for who knows how much time, because every part was a bit different from the rest.

"My god, Misaki, how did you do this to yourself?" asked Tooru when he finally took a closer glance at the merman's back when Yoshimine's attention was distracted by the wall. It was clearly broken and from its swollen state the boy managed to break it in half, if not shards. The merman lifted his head from the bed, but since he couldn't understood Tooru's shock he, soon adopted a questioning look.

"It'll heal just give me some medicine," he shrugged, trying to adopt a confident look, but Tooru only shook his head in disbelief.

"There are some things in this world you can't heal with medicines. Like bones… or feelings. What are you giving me that look for?"

"Does this mean that I won't be able to swim?" He drew a sharp breath as the image of a disabled merman appeared before him.

Tooru gave a wry smile.

"I wouldn't say this, but you need to stay on the ship for the next week or two. Merfolk anatomy is a mystery for me so I'm not really sure about the effectiveness of this treatment. Do you know anything about your own doctors, like, how they treat wounds and such?" Tooru asked and cast a concerned glance at the creature before him.

"You have found the merboy who only had a broken arm when he was a guppy. I dunno," he let out a small laugh. "My bet is to try keeping it in one place. Back then, it worked for my arm."

"How about tying it to your body? Just make sure you won't move more than you should."

Together they've tried to come up with some kind of solution, but Tooru had to admit, treating and injured merman was harder than operating a heavily bleeding wound in the middle of the night. There were so many small details he had to stay mindful of.

"Hey, this tickles!" he called out automatically when Tooru started wrapping gauze his waist.

"No, don't move!" the medic tried to keep the boy in one place. Whenever he tried to slip the gauze under his stomach the merman started shaking from the muffled laughter.

It took them a half hour at least, but Yoshimine finally had his dorsal fin tied to his body, Tooru even added a few extra layers just in case.

He had to admit nothing felt better than the moment when he was back on the deck, stretching in his own boat. He missed the fresh air, the daylight and the lack of nagging.

But the concern of the others has truly left him in awe. Whoever walked past him, they would often ask Yoshimine about his injuries and offered their help to him. In the end, the poor boy couldn't help but feel like a clown behind the bars. Even if no one was laughing at him, the whole situation made him feel uncomfortable from the sudden wave of attention. Attention from everyone but the captain who kept making rounds between his cabin and the storage, probably thinking about a way to interrogate the newcomer.

"Anything new?" he tried to ask when Namikawa walked past him for the hundredth time that day.

"Nothing." Came the hasty answer, then the captain left for the storage, leaving the merman alone with his thoughts who couldn't help, but feel like he was a dead weight again. Sitting there in his tiny box, watching how the crew solved their problems was way too painful. Even if Rensuke had given him a green light to join their ranks he didn't fit into the jolly crew. Especially now, when he was only a bio-decoration.

However, he couldn't really go back to the sea either. After everything that'd happened to him, he would rather stay with the pirates. The sea he loved so much as a little child has gone through way too many changes in the recent months and now it didn't look like his home at all.

"Why the long face merboy?"

He looked up just to see Naoto standing next to his boat. However, the expression on the boy's face far from sympathetic and as he gave a little kick to Yoshimine's current throne it became obvious, he wasn't there to pamper his ego. No, this Naoto was nowhere near the one he met several times on the deck.

"My face is not long," he let out a huff, clearly not understanding the human idiom.

"Then let me ask in a different way, do you regret coming to this ship already?" Naoto paused for a moment, waiting for Misaki to catch up, then gave a finishing blow to him. "Because you should start reconsidering you choice."

His ears twitching, Misaki didn't know how to react to Wanda's sudden change in behaviour. Or more like he did not want to understand what he was hearing from this person.

"What if I don't want to reconsider anything and I like being here?"

"You're risking a lot. Your life, to be exact." He warned the merman, who just sat there, his lower half covered with water. "A merboy like you could never withstand the storms that will clash above this deck sooner or later so this is why I'm telling you to give up on your foolish plans."

"Wanna bet?" he gave Naoto a grin, but his ears had betrayed Misaki. He wanted to give Wanda a piece of his mind or fist, but the youth was too tall for him and at the moment he had no witty comebacks.

"I don't like one sided bets, s'rry," Wanda snickered then crouched down to Yoshimine's eye-level, "But there is one thing, one puny little thing I ought to tell you. The moment I see you becoming too self-conscious about your pathetic make-believe will be the moment when I throw your body back to the sea in a sack. Oh, and let's not forget the cannonball at the end of said sack. Just to make sure you won't come after us."

This was certainly not the same Wanda Naoto he came to know, this person was something new, something menacing.

"Why?" asked Misaki.

Wanda just chuckled, stroking his chin.

"Surely, you've not realized this. Such an ignorant deck-swabber. Whatever, forget that I mentioned it." he shook his head in anger, quickly changing his tone when one of the crewmembers came by and asked them about the commotion.

"Aye, we be jus' foolin'." Wanda sent him a million-doubloon smile, before joining the other boy, glancing at Yoshimine for one last time.

The same dark feeling started to cloud Misaki's head and like a small worm it started eating away his remaining confidence, leaving a numbing hole wherever it went. With nothing to do, Yoshimine just lay there, counting the few clouds what tainted the sky with their white, idle fluffiness.

:::::::: ::::::::

Unfortunately, Captain Namikawa had similar problems and while they were nearly not as despair-inducing as Misaki's dilemma, they still considered to be quite bad.

It was their hostage.

He appeared to be from the crew of Dauntless, furthermore both Rensuke and Nagisa remembered him from their last meeting with the Aoba pirates, the boy refused to speak. Hours have passed but the boy was silent, pure anger reflecting in his eyes.

"Who sent you?" Namikawa's question echoed in the small storage room. "Why did you attack our ship? Ah yes, you don't speak now, but you had the guts to attack us wearing the same jolly roger."

"Rensuke."

"You picked a fight with us to mock Marine Snow, am I right?" the boy shook his head in panic, but he couldn't defend himself with words, so Namikawa continued his speech. Every step he took thundered along with his harsh accusations.

Even if the Aoba pirate had nothing to do with the incident, the hurtful words just wouldn't stop. Now that he had the chance Rensuke wanted to

"Rensuke, stop!"

And like a miracle, the words caught in his throat. Staggering back from Nagisa's words, Namikawa lost his previous confidence. He hesitantly looked at his companion, taking a deep breath before nodding.

He went too far.

"I know you're angry, because guess what, everyone feels the same about the attack, but if there is one thing I won't tolerate, not even from my captain, then that's attacking injured sailors without any evidence. Isn't it weird that the Dauntless, a ghost ship, reappears out of nowhere, carrying one of the survivors and our flag? In my opinion, this was not a simple ambush and this kid here is our only clue."

Namikawa nodded in acknowledgement of Nagisa's statement.

"Now, I would like to continue this alone, without you scaring the life out of the poor fella."

"S-sorry," he muttered like a child who was scolded by his parents, before leaving the storage. Nagisa let out a sigh, and glanced at the sailor.

They tied the boy's hands and legs together, but it seemed the boy wouldn't ran away even if they asked him to. From the look of it he went through hell on the Dauntless, scars and rope-burns tainting his body.

He was afraid of the reaction and the answer for the question he was about to ask from the kid, but while his captain tried to collect information, Nagisa unconsciously noticed a really strange pattern of reaction.

"Alright, now that the mad shark is out of the picture, let me ask you one really important question. Can you speak?" Moments passed before the white haired kid reacted to his words. He opened his mouth, forming words, but everything stayed silent. After a few tries he gave up and simply shook his head. "Don't fret about it. But there are some questions you need to answer."

The boy nodded, showing that he was willing to work together with Nagisa. Probably it was the crew member's friendly smile or the calm voice he used while talking to their hostage, but after Rensuke left they noticeably made more progress than in the previous hours.

There was only one topic they couldn't cover, the Dauntless and the monsters. Whenever Nagisa tried to ask about it the boy lost he cool, having the symptoms of a smaller panic attack.

"It's okay, see, I won't ask you about it." he patted the boy's shoulder. "But when you're ready, don't hesitate to tell us what you know."

The white haired boy looked at him with a grateful expression and while that nod was barely visible it didn't go unnoticed.

"Say, do you have a name?"

:::::::: ::::::::

Needless to say, after the events of the day Namikawa's dreams were filled with restless thoughts.

Images and memories from the past rushed back to him, but they were all deformed and lost their original meanings they held in his heart. The proud man who once stood before him was nothing more than a mere shadow, swirling around a house that used to be so important on their travels. To distract his attention from the cold sensation that inched its way into his body he tried exploring the area, but it felt like he was standing in the middle of the swamp.

More and more shadows kept appearing, forming a wall between the house and him. For the whole time he had the feeling he knew them. Even in their formless state, something told Rensuke that at some point in history he'd met these shadows, maybe even talked to them. Nevertheless right now, he tried to punch them away to reach the one he surely knew.

He was certain that he hit the shadow, but he couldn't harm these creatures. Its body, made of smoke swirled around his fist, but when he tried to step closer to his home the scenery stood still, empty eyes following his struggle.

They did nothing, just stood there, making a black circle around him, filling his head with anxiety. Those who mattered were outside of the ring, swaying in the strong wind like weak ears of wheat. He closed his eyes to clear his mind, but the next time he opened them the dark ceiling was in front of him.

He needed some air, so he left his cabin wearing nothing but the short trousers he'd been sleeping in. His room was directly connected to the deck, so he didn't risk anyone from the crew seeing him. It's not that he cared about them seeing the captain dancing around, wearing nothing but his underwear, but it truly didn't fit the image of a cool captain he aimed to be.

However, the person who he forgot to count into the ranks of the crew was right there, sitting at the deck, waiting for an answer to his problem.

Rensuke stopped for a moment, but the merman seemed to be asleep so he decided it truly wouldn't hurt to take a quick stroll around the ship. But when he reached Yoshimine's boat again, the merman was awake, looking at him with a questioning look on his face.

"…Seriously, for how long..?" Rensuke asked, but Misaki just shrugged indifferently.

"Long enough to see you your dumb face when you opened the door. I like the view, to be honest." while the remark was intended to embarrass Rensuke, it failed. It just didn't have the usually Misaki-like cockiness, just a weak copy of it.

And yes, Namikawa did have some problem with the merman, but the lack of _misakines_s worried him more than petty insults.

"If you're going to insult me, then do it like a man and make sure it's worth being annoyed because of it." He walked to the boat, then rested his back against the rails at the side of the ship, using them as support.

Misaki shot towards him an angry glance, but made no effort to counter Rensuke's words.

The boy was in a foul mood. He didn't have to be a detective to see this.

"How is your back?"

"It's alright."

"Does it hurt?"

"A little."

They stood there looking at each other for a moment before Rensuke giving their conversation another go. It took him a good moment to realize how Misaki's emotions reflected on his ears and the less they spoke, the lower the fell.

"Look… Misaki. is everything alright? I'm asking like, in general, 'cept for your fin, I know already that it's broken."

"This and well_, that_ happened. But it'll go away, I'm sure. I mean, it's not like I feel bad for tagging along, and clinging to you, it's just, well… Yes," he blurted out.

"Wait, this was in some gibberish merman language because I couldn't understand a thing. What's your problem exactly?"

Misaki could only stare at him with disbelief, before averting his gaze.

"Things and stuffs," he repeated. "You know, merman-human things and pirate stuffs. Ever since the attack, I keep asking myself, was it alright to force myself into the ranks of humans? And the worst is, I can't answer my own question."

"Have you tried asking us?"

"Kind of…"

"And what was the answer?"

"That if I don't behave I might get thrown into the sea- "he stopped, then added,"-with a cannonball tied to my tail. That."

He didn't have to continue, Rensuke knew it well who could've said those words.

"Just let him be. Sometimes Wanda has a bad day and he says nasty things, but I'm sure that he wasn't serious about that threat," he tried his best to cheer up Misaki, but it seemed he had no effect on the boy's mood. The way Yoshimine looked at him was not exactly heartwrenching, but he was nearing that level.

A single tear sparkled as it fell. They were both lost.

"Look, if it makes you feel better, I-I don't dislike you."

However upon hearing Rensuke's words something broke inside.

To hide his tears Misaki quickly splattered water over his face as if it was just a sign that he was trying to collect his remaining willpower, but the truth was different. He couldn't stop the blood from rushing to his cheeks and the tears didn't stop either.

That single line meant that he was tolerated, but not liked.

This sight scared Rensuke. He put his hand on Misaki's shoulder only to be shocked by the merman's cold skin. It was not something one would expect from a half-human creature.

The boy was not sobbing, just let his tears roll down his face in silence.

"I'll be back in a minute," was all Rensuke could manage. He had to escape somehow, not from Misaki but this situation and the easiest way was to find something, _anything_ what could cheer him up, at least a little. From his perspective, while the merman was an uninvited companion, he'd reached the level of attachment when he wanted to make their travels pleasant.

Yes, he was tolerated, but Rensuke honestly started liking the merman.

By the time he arrived back, Misaki was still sulking, lying on his back.

"Would you stop your dramatic suffering for a moment?"

"Heh. It's not dramatic. I'm just feeling awful in general," said Misaki as though they were talking about some casual problem like an empty barrel. However he let his guard down enough, to not notice the two cups in Rensuke's hand and the folded blanket on his shoulders, what fell to the deck with a soft thud when he sat down next to the merman's boat.

He was still too lazy to dress up properly though.

"Then drink this." Misaki hesitated, but accepted the cup. It had a weird smell and the warmth radiating from the cup made him suspicious.

"Change!" he demanded, leaning out from the boat.

"What?"

"I said, let's change."

This was an obvious sign that Misaki did not trust him. "What, are you afraid?" he asked with a playful tone. Taking a sip from his own as a sign of challenge.

"In your dreams, I just don't intend to die here from this poisonous stuff. It looks like sewage."

"Come on, it's nasty, but it won't kill you. Proper pirate drink, you see. But if you don't want it you can always give that to me," he shrugged, but when he tried to take away the cup from Yoshimine, the boy held it away from him.

"I'll drink with you," he said with a defeated voice, after he collected enough courage, looking down at the weird liquid, before raising the cup to his lips. The taste was weird, something he wouldn't expect with a smell like that, but he had to admit it did have some positive effects. He clamped his eyes shut for a moment, but the bitter taste disappeared as suddenly as it came. "Weird."

"Of course it's weird. Grog is supposed to be weird," Rensuke said with an amused smile. The grimace on Misaki's face worth every penny, especially after the merman kept trying to drink more, making faces at every try.

"But why?" he looked at Rensuke with a puzzled look. Catching the merman off guard, Rensuke was happy to get the best of him.

"Ya looked like someone who desperately needs a drink, also you kind of missed the last part of the pirate trials, so I thought this will be a good moment to make up for it."

"There were no trials."

"Oh, really? Then I probably forgot to speak about them. In order to become a fully pledged pirate you need to go through the three trials of piracy. You've passed all trials with semi-good success, not the best results, but for a merman they're good enough."

"Then, dear Captain, let me ask you one thing about these pirate trials, did you just make them up on the spot to make me feel better?"

Namikawa slowly nodded, emptying his cup. "I suppose so. But I didn't lie about the pirate part. Everybody loves you, so who am I to send you away?"

Misaki's reply was a small chuckle. "You must have a special talent for ruining the moment," he said, resting his head on his arms, while turning on his side in the boat. The drink must've worked well in his case, because "What about you?"

Rensuke hesitated, fidgeting with the cup in his hands. The question caught him off guard and for few moments he had to think really hard about what to say. In the end, he realized no matter what he says, the merman will know if he lied.

It was easier just to man up and admit his defeat.

"Hard to say. I think of you as a worthy ally, but at the same time I could break your little neck for being so cocky and stubborn and I'm certain that there are more words for the likes of you, but right now nothing comes into my mind." He was looking at the sea, refusing to look Misaki in the eye.

As they talked the air around them became calmer, and strangely refreshing. An atmosphere Rensuke never experienced before, because he was so preoccupied by being the responsible and strict captain. Probably the worst part way how he started to understand the reason his friends liked the merman so much.

It seemed his answer pleased Misaki, because his overly confident side returned and the boy looked up at him with a smile. His cheeks were slightly flushed, so Rensuke assumed the alcohol had done its miraculous work.

"There is one thing I'm curious about, though. Why are you here?" Misaki asked. "It's not like you to walk around in the middle of night, wearing almost nothing. Is it the Dauntless? Don't get me wrong, I won't gonna nag you about it, if you don't want to share classified information."

"You've nailed it it's the Dauntless but right now… I don't think I want to talk about it. Not today."

He expected Misaki to be hurt, or at least irritated by the lack of information, but the merman only nodded, burying his head in his arms.

"Take your time."

"We're still not friends." he wanted to remind the merman, but he seemed to be unconcerned by his words.

"Yeah, sure." His mind was a bit fuzzy from the grog, attention slipping away now and then. Rensuke felt the exact same tiredness washing over him so he got up, putting the blanket closer to Misaki's place, just in case. There was a muffled protest, but it was shooed away.

After giving the merman an encouraging pat on the head, he left, bringing the two cups with him. And for the first time that day, he felt calm.

Probably it was safe to say that after weeks of travelling together he accepted the merman a fellow pirate. Not a friend, yet, but a pirate was fine from someone like Rensuke.

**A/N: Now this is what I call long chapter. I really wanted to split it, to be honest, but then I decided it's better if I keep the chapter together even if too many things happened. My only regret is that I couldn't include a small little puzzle-solving mini episode between the boys. =w= I guess it'll be included in the later chapters, because I'm not going to give up on that.**

**The next chapter will be similar, I think. We'll meet another fishy friend also some kids from Raimon will enter the scene!? Also a female Pirate Leader?**

**Reviews are always welcomed!**


	14. Chapter 14

**[14.] Angler's Reef**

The week passed quite uneventfully with no interesting events. Nagisa kept trying to get more details from their hostage, Azu. While Namikawa and Yoshimine kept arguing over the pettiest things whenever they had the time. Yet, something was different. They didn't intend to hurt the other with words so the crew almost instantly noticed the sudden change.

The air around them has changed.

"I think it's good." said Tairamaru, mostly to himself on a lazy evening. Gunki, Yuuto and he were playing cards in his room. Even though Namikawa prohibited every type of gambling on his ship the boys' love for these games stayed undying.

"Just wait until you see my next card," the redhead chuckled as he threw an ace on the top of their card pile. "I say, spades."

Tairamaru countered the color-changing with another ace and asked for Hearts. According to the rules his partners had to use another ace or King to counter him, but Yuuto simply put down two cards with the number seven on their edges. This meant Gunki had to draw four cards unless he put down another with the same number.

"You know that I didn't talk about the game," he glared at him from behind his cards.

Seeing how Gunki ran out of luck, Tairamaru gave him four cards from the deck and waited for the other's turn to end.

"Don't worry, I know. By the way why do I have to whole deck in my hands?" asked Gunki holding up at least half of the existing deck.

"Because you're unlucky today," Yuuto smiled drawing a card from their main deck.

This game was surprisingly easy, played by the famous French cards. The goal was to get rid of the cards that the players had on hand, and just like in another card game what was so popular lately, if they were running low on cards they had to announce this news to their partners.

"Well not as unlucky as someone else on the ship," he snickered, thinking about the ship's current state and the bosun being furious when they finished measuring the damages. He had to present the results to Namikawa who was obviously not pleased with them and ended up throwing a wooden idol at him.

_We have to make a deal with half-pirates_. He decided after pondering on the matter. But the truth was, he hated meeting with lousy half-pirates and whenever he thought about them he wanted to push someone into the sea, in this case, the bosun.

"Well next time he won't plan on ramming into an enemy ship." shrugged Tairamaru. "Pharao."

In the middle of their talk, he managed to slip past his opponents and had got rid of the cards without any major problems. Gunki and Yuuto tried to bring him back, but thanks to lady luck, he could answer their attack by attacking them in the same manner, thus losing another card from his hand.

"No. No. What I meant is that we have to visit _another_ Pirate Leader and this time it's that vixen… The Sea Rose and we all know that the captain just can't speak to women, or mermen," he added with a sly smirk. "We might end up shipless at Angler's Reef!"

"Makao," he shouted with a victorious on his face. "At least Yoshimine doesn't take his rudeness seriously. If you ask me, I would've grown legs just to kick the captain."

There was one thing Tairamaru refused to share with the others. One tiny little detail, that no one was supposed to know about the captain. But it was not important in their current state.

"How come you win every-freaking-time we play this game?" Gunki asked in disbelief, firmly holding his deck with both hands.

"I'm good at using the right cards at the right moment." Tairamaru shrugged. It was all strategy. If he arranged his cards in the best possible way the outcome was always rewarding. Thus, right now the secret was a card in his deck what could come handy in the future, he just had to wait for the right moment.

:::::::: ::::::::

Angler's Reef was a spectacular place at the border of Raimon and the Island Alliance. The townfolk mostly considered themselves to be the part of said kingdom until Raimon denied their begging for help. It was the navy; attacking and sinking the fishermen's ships in order to stop them from supporting piracy, but Raimon's ruler was afraid of Moonlight and its armed forces so he did absolutely nothing to help the troubled people in their struggle.

Probably the town would've been destroyed by now if a pirate didn't come to aid he fishermen, using her wit to overcome the sheer force of the navy. Solving a problem not even Raimon was able to solve with its army.

She was known as the Sea Rose, a royalty who betrayed Raimon, took their best ship just to help who were in need. She'd lost her title as princess, but gained something better, something everlasting in its place.

And ever since that day, she kept the policy of letting pirates and travellers to anchor near the island to rest their weary body in proper inns and restock their supplies, but when the words of the villagers reached her about the pathetic state of the Ornitier she couldn't help, but to grow curious. It was rare to see a ghost ship like that, padding near the island. And this one was none other than the legendary seafarer, whose captain stood up against Moonlight.

"Where are you going?" her counsellor, and only supporter from Raimon asked her.

"Don't worry. It's nothing serious," she gave him a playful smile. "I just feel like there is something the captain of the Ornitier will refuse to tell me."

"So, my job is once again, to keep the pirate scum busy?" the short youth sighed, running his hands through his pale locks. Always the same old song. The princess would sneak out in disguise, while he entertains their visitors.

"Aw, don't call them like that. After all, we're pirates too."

"But there is a difference between ravaging the sea and protecting something using… filthy pirate ways."

"Everyone has something to protect," she reassured the counsellor; before covering her shoulders with a thin purple cloth, that moved almost weightlessly as she walked around in the room in her long, green dress. "Why don't you try finding out what's _their_ treasure?"

"My lady, I can safely assure, after Marine Snow was destroyed years ago the pirates whom are currently residing on the Ornitier have nothing left to protect. They don't have any treasures, but the Ornitier."

"More reasons for me scout the area! Don't worry Commander Norihito, I'll ask someone to accompany me," she smiled at him.

"I'm not a Commander anymore… Besides THAT's what I'm afraid of. Leaving me here as the red herring and taking off with that scatterbrained fisherman!" he growled taking the Sea Rose's seat in her office, toying with the shells she kept on her desk. "He is not worthy of a princess…"

"Are you thinking about that, again?" she asked raising an eyebrow, and then reached for a white hat.

"Of course! Things would be so much better if you just tried to convince the prince instead of running away like a fugitive who committed treason!"

"Norihito, but I did commit _treason_." she said these words so calmly, it annoyed Norihito. "However, a kingdom like Raimon will survive my absence, while this town would be swept away in the first storm they encounter. I've tried to convince the prince so many times, I've lost count."

"I know, I was there," he told her calmly.

"Then you knew it well, how he denied the problem, wishing the best only for the subjects of Raimon not the neighbouring areas. Just as you left your rank as a commander, I stopped being a princess the moment we left the castle and formally ended my engagement with him."

He wasn't jealous of the boy who enjoyed the attention of the prince's former bride, but rather he carried deep worry within his heart, fearing that the delicate flower who was supposed to be a noble queen. He was afraid if her settling down here so easily, after betraying her own country and family.

They've been disloyal to Raimon and the Prince and now there was no way that Kurama Norihito, a simple guard could turn the tables. And probably now, that his mistress had set her eyes upon that clown they're going to stay at Angler's Reef for good, cutting themselves away from their past lives.

It didn't bother Kurama the slightest, as he was enjoying his current position way better than the cold halls of the royal palace, but as for his companion… her life could've been much better.

"Gosh, if Minamisawa ever seen me working here, he would give back his diploma and he'd jump into the sea," he thought out loud, letting his head meet the cold wooden desk.

On the other hand, if Minamisawa ever seen him, that would mean that Kurama could talk to him, questioning his actions. Betraying Raimon was one thing, but betraying his best friend was straight unacceptable.

How ironic that they became enemies without ever saying a bad word to the other. This one was actually the most admirable part of the current situation.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"You can't just leave me here!" Yoshimine pouted, still sitting in his boat with the bandages around his fin. It was so obvious that the crew would leave him on the ship, but he hated the idea if being left out from the sightseeing tour.

"You still have no legs for walking, seadweller."

"Then get me one of those land-boats!"

"You know what you'll get?! Seaweed in your mouth to make you quiet. You can't expect us to push your heavy ass through the entire village, where, god forbid me, people might see that something is horribly off with your appearance." then he looked at the three boys who were enlisted to guard the ship and help the carpenters. "Hide Yoshimine."

"Hey, you can't just hide me like that!"

The order was clear, but the boys just rolled their eyes. No matter how big the ship was, hiding a flopping merman from the all-knowing eyes of the carpenters was a true challenge. Probably the fishermen would be delighted to see the son of the sea visiting their village, but the pirate leader bothered Namikawa. Never trust someone who betrayed her country, after all. Furthermore, female pirates were way trickier to handle than men. They vixens would use poison, manipulation and other dirty tricks to get what they want instead of fighting for it like every normal pirate does.

If Misaki still had the ability to swim then they could let him explore Angler's Reef on his own, but if anything happened to him in his current state no angler could fish him out of the sea. Or worse, if the Sea Rose's henchmen got their hands in their fishy friend, both Yoshimine and the ship would be in grave danger.

So no. Absolutely no. The merman must stay on the ship.

"Shall I remind you what happened last time when you locked me?" Misaki angrily pointed at the bandages on his torso.

"Things will be different this time. First of all, we're not under attack on the open sea, secondly you'll have someone to keep you company."

Misaki gave it a moment. Reasoning with Namikawa was always fruitless. "Make sure that I don't kill myself in my boredom, while you're dillydallying in the village."

"We're actually going to visit our half-pirate friends here." Wanda cut in just as Namikawa wanted to open his mouth to continue their bickering.

They had to hurry if they wanted to meet with the pirate leader today.

"Half-pirates..?"

"Ask the crewmembers if you're so interested in human culture. We're not here to teach you all day."

Wanda knew Misaki only wanted to argue, so he decided to cut off all possible ways what could've kept them there, before grabbing the captain by his forearm and dragging him towards the boat.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

They were sitting in the spare boat, slowly padding towards the town with Souma and Norikazu accompanying them. The bosun had to run errands for the Ornitier, finding carpenters and guarding the ship from the curious eyes of the residents.

"Hey Wanda, I haven't finished talking to him, you know," Namikawa muttered in frustration.

"Spare me from your reasoning, lately all you do is talking to that scurvy seaslug. Is he so important?"

Souma's answer was swifter.

"You can't blame the captain. After all, I daresay, Misaki has a rather pleasant atmosphere around him and in my humble opinion, their quarrels would make a good book material if someone took time and made notes."

It seemed the topic made Namikawa uncomfortable as he shot a piercing glare towards the bosun and warned him to shut his mouth. Some things were better left undiscussed. Or more like there were various topic he wouldn't talk about in front of his crew, fearing the power of rumours.

He didn't fully believe Misaki's accusations he decided to keep an eye on he trusted his firstmate there was something off about his wording nowadays and the way he answered just raised more questions.

Probably he would've asked him about this, if his mind was not occupied by possible prices the half-pirates will offer for their goods. The Sea Rose had an infamously great sense of price, maybe better than most appraisers'.

"Do you think Sea Rose would be kind enough to tell us more about Minamisawa's plans? Back at Rottingham, the old captain wasn't really keen about telling us the details," asked Wanda, resting his arms on the side of the boat.

"Depends on her mood, I guess. I have my own theory about the navy's plans, but there are still many missing pieces."

Namikawa's face was still as the surface of a lake. His previous expressions were nowhere to be found.

He doubted that a half-pirate would be closely related to the curious case of surprise attacks, burnt down villages and the fact that the currency of the Island Alliance is getting weaker week by week. But it was better to believe in the opposite, until they meet the woman.

It gave them hope.

Hope to find out the reason for Marine Snow's destruction.

Souma let out a small snort as the town's docks came into view and they passed the statue of a mermaid and a man. One standing on the land, reaching for the mermaid, while the maiden did the same from the foamy water.

"We should've brought Yoshimine with us."

"Excuse me?" Wanda's face froze, perfectly reflecting his anger – Souma couldn't help but laugh at his victory.

"Oh, let me guess, you had no idea about the mythology of Angler's Reef? The story of the mermaid and the angler, who wished to create a place where both of them can live in peace? I'm absolutely shocked now."

"I'm not a fan of interspecies romance," grumbled Wanda as he kept looking at Namikawa. "Unlike, someone, I still haven't forgot that a merman is not something that should be _kept _on the deck."

"I can't just break an oath." Namikawa wanted to say, but instead he stayed silent, pretending that his attention had been stolen by the statues. He had been played.

The pair, who created Angler's reef, believing that merfolk and humans could live together in peace. However their world was shattered by bounty hunters, who started kidnapping the mermaids who trusted the anglers of the village and thus, blaming the whole human race for their loss, they left the village.

But even hundreds years later, now that the village evolved into a fine town, statues of mermaids and remnants of their culture could be found at Angler's reef. If things didn't go their way, probably they could use Yoshimine as a trump card.

But was money and information really that important? Unlike them, half-pirates were always weighing their gain and loss in their deals.

In a way merman was the Joker in their little game. A card he couldn't use, no matter what happened to the rest of the deck. That one article that should always stay hidden when making negotiations with sea merchants.

**A/N: Huh. This chapter caused me more headache than the entire fic. It's not that I hated writing it, but more like I've lost the drive to share the story after seeing how unread it became. In the end managed to pull my shit together, tho.**

**I'm pretty sure everyone knows already who this Mysterious Sea Rose is. heh.**

**Also: Please, pretty please with cherry on top, leave a review on the story!**


	15. Chapter 15

**[15.] The Melancholy of a Princess**

Wearing the title of a princess was a heavy burden, too heavy for Yamana Akane.

Compared to that, the life of a pirate leader was light as a feather and most importantly, free, so free she could feel her lungs tightening comfortably after every deep breath she took from the fresh, morning sea breeze.

This town was her freedom.

The cobblestone streets, the vibrant colours and the lively atmosphere was better than any medicine the royal doctors could ever gave her, and the fact that she could meet her 'subjects' anytime she wanted just added more to the positive side of the experience. There were no walls or guards who would keep her inside a cramped palace. No, Angler's Reef was hers.

Right now, in her tiny kingdom, she was heading towards the direction of the small house near the beach district to meet her friends before they started their little scouting mission on the newly arrived pirate ship. And if there was one person who would surely join her little game of spying, it was Hamano Kaiji, the young angler of the town.

He helped her a lot during the conflict between the navy and Angler's Reef and in the end, they started meeting outside of the office. Hamano would often teach Akane about fishing and the traditions of the island, on the other hand he listened to the girl's ramblings whenever her heart became too heavy to carry around.

And even if Akane was never the type of person who would open up to someone, everything went so naturally with Hamano. His smile and his way too positive view on life told Akane that things can get better, and indeed, they did.

"Hey, it's unusual to see you around here, missus." The young fisherman was standing next to her, with a fishing rod in his hand.

"Oh, Hamano," she gave him a small smile. Impressively, she managed to hide her surprise. "I was about to-"

"Call for me? Yeah, I know. Hayami already told me about it." To his statement Akane only raised her brow, bearing a puzzled expression on her face before Hamano quickly added. "About the ship."

She made an O shape with her lips. "Then I made this trip for nothing."

"Well, not for nothing. I was about to visit you anyho'. One of their guys came looking for carpenters, so if we want to inspect their ship that would be the best opportunity. I doubt the bosun would let anyone aboard. I told the guys to wait for us."

Akane stopped for a moment, looking at Hamano, then looking at the ship. The angler was a step ahead of her as always when it came to taking action.

"Hamano, if I may ask, did you hear anything about raids or attacks made by navy cohorts?" She looked worried. If something was indeed out there what could cause so much destruction to a well-known ship, Angler's Reef might've been in danger.

"Nah, Hayami is way too scared of leaving the island in the past weeks. It didn't do any good that he was caught by a plundering ship back then and if the fishermen didn't rescue him he would be godknowswhere."

"I see. Then we will have to solve their mystery alone."

Or wait for Tsunami's arrival from the southern island, though that might take too long for them, knowing the man and his sense of time. In his dictionary one month often equalled two or three, depending on his mood.

At the thought Akane couldn't help but smile with the calmness of the sea. It seemed that Hamano's presence had a good effect on her and while as the Sea Rose, she indeed deserved the nickname 'vixen', as Yamane Akane, she was nothing more than a girl who wanted to help others in her own innocent ways.

_But which one was real?_

She used to wonder about such mundane things until her thoughts ran their course several times arriving to the same conclusion. Akane decided both personalities were hers, but her old lifestyle had hardly ever let her do what she wanted, thus back then the vixen had more chances to appear on the surface.

Wake up late, have breakfast with her fiancée then attend to private classes like any princess would have done. This routine was so dull; it killed Akane, especially because as Raimon's princess she gained the right to attend meetings and discussions regarding the country yet she had no voice in the council, her ideas almost always went unnoticed unless it was Shindou speaking on her behalf. She had to trick others. Friends, family and acquaintances.

This, in a way tortured her. It was like a cold prison, where the only guard who would ever listen to her pleas was Shindou. But soon even that guard had left her cell, leaving her alone in the darkness where she constantly asked the question: What can I do for my kingdom? However there is a limit of how much you can ignore human, and Akane knew it well when Shindou stepped over that magical line.

"Hamano, do you mind if I ask you a question?" she looked at the boy, pulling the scarf over her shoulder.

"Yes, I DO mind," he faked an overserious tone, accompanied by an angry look before he laughed playfully. "No, actually, just go on. I don't think humble me can help, but you can be sure as Kurama's frown that I'll do my best!"

"That's quite reassuring, if I might say," she chuckled as the image of Kurama's constant frown appeared before her. "Have I changed ever since I came here?"

"Of course you did! Back when you arrived, you were so lost, not knowing anything about our customs, but then you got the hang of the pirate's life. You became more confident and talkative than the first time we met."

Was her talkativeness a side effect or good mood? Or was it Hamano presence? She couldn't decide.

"At the same time, back when I arrived I was quite upset too." she muttered to herself as a sign of agreeing with Hamano's statements.

"No wonder, that scallywag turned tail to us, after all."

Akane's face stiffened. She knew that scallywag too well, the person who vow eternal loyality to her but before they could get to the marriage part of their relationship, he decided she was only a token princess and ended up spending more time in the company of his own guards than her fiancée.

She thought of him a lot back then, she regretted leaving Raimon, but now, that she'd broken their engagement, Raimon and the young prince Takuto was no more than a painful memory overshadowed by the rocks and trees of Angler's Reef.

"We're here!" told Hamano, cutting into her train of thoughts as he dragged her into the small lodge.

:::::: :::::

There were many things that bugged Yoshimine when he thought about the human world. Most of these unpleasant things were just the oddities of their way of living and how they tried to put everything in order, keep things clean, while completely missing the tiniest gestures of their own kind. Like living in separated fish tanks.

And there he was, sitting in a room _again_. He could only hope that this time he won't end up with a broken bone. Although this time he got a luxury suite compared to the shabby kitchen.

The captain's cabin.

What first grabbed his attention was the various junk Namikawa had collected in his own living space. Most of them were unknown to Yoshimine. Books, treasures, boxes stacked up on each other, all kinds of different maps and some handrawn routes marked with scribbles and arrows. It was surprising, because he never thought Namikawa would be the collector type of person, let alone a captain who thought about the route of the ship. No, to be frank, he always looked at him as a really simple human being whose only skill is to lead a crew.

And then his eyes wandered to the old wooden desk. It was messy, he could see it from the floor, but upon holding up his weight using the chair next to him, the view grew wider. The captain's furniture seemed to hold more interesting details than he ever expected. A wooden animal. Quills in a cup. And of course, more paper than he could ever imagine. For a moment he wondered if Namikawa had some hidden passion for the human thing called writing or he just kept everything in one place.

Yet, on the second thought, everything was so un-Namikawa-like. He expected swords, guns and more trash than he could ever imagine, not something like this. Fortunately, the disordered jumble of shelves almost immediately reminded him of the captain with junks pulling bending the wooden plates under their weight.

He was shaken out of daydreaming when the cabin's door opened with a soft creak and Murakami entered the room. This caused Misaki to lose balance and fell back into his boat, hitting his elbow and side.

"Getting nosy, Misa?" he laughed.

"For heaven's sake, why can't you knock?!" he responded, rubbing the red bruise that appeared where he hit his arm. "And I'm not nosy, just curious."

"Understandable."

The boy flopped down on Namikawa's bed, handing Yoshimine a simple wooden box. "Tooru sent some lunch in case you are hungry."

It's not like Yoshimine was suspicious, but he was afraid of the contents of the package and he hesitated when Gunki nagged him about his slowness. He wasn't quite hungry yet, but the boy's smile convinced him in the end.

But then again, if it was from Tooru, then it couldn't be_ that_ bad, he thought. Furthermore, after he opened the boy the scent what hit his face was rather pleasant, despite the gruesome image of dead fish looking back at him.

He thought humans at least had the mercy to cut off the head of fish. However he looked it their tiny little mouths were open as if they were screaming for help.

"I hope this is not cannibalism, eh."

"Canni-what?" he looked up questioningly.

"Like, when humans eat humans that's cannibalism. It's all about eating your own kind."

"Nah, we eat fish, it's just… They must've had a painful death. Look at them, mouth wide open, empty eyesockets. This is cruel," he told the other before biting into one of the poor creatures "But great!"

"Reassuring," he nodded.

"How are things around the ship?" he changed the topic with ease.

"We managed to sell some of our spices at a good price to the half-pirates," said Gunki, looking into the distance. "So now we have money to pay the carpenters and repair the ship."

That name again. That unknown name appeared in a discussion and Yoshimine had no idea what the hell were these half-pirates and why they were not full-pirates. Everything was so overly complicated when it came to humans, he couldn't believe they were still alive and kicking after so many centuries.

"Half-pirates?"

"Aye, those are the folk who follow the rules of the society, but constantly help and trade with pirates. Smugglers in a way, half-pirates," he explained. Yoshimine would've guessed that it was something trivial.

"Aren't smugglers outlaws, by the way? That pretty much makes them pirates according to our description."

"But they never hurt a soul unless they're provoked," Gunki shook his head, wearing a tiny smile. He felt so clever, but sadly his answer didn't satisfy Yoshimine.

"Does this makes you half-pirates, though? I've never seen any of you hurting anyone," he said out loud without thinking, earning a snort from Gunki.

"Our situation is kind of complicated."

:::::: :::::

"What do you mean by this? How come that vixen is not here?" huffed Namikawa, slamming his fist on the table, while keeping the eye-contact with the person sitting in front of him.

He wasn't just enraged, but he wanted to hit the whitehaired midget for being so cocky. They started their little debate almost two hours ago, but it was like playing an old kindergarten game; they always ended up at the beginning.

Sadly, he lacked the skip of wordfighting.

"Must you be so loud? Her Highness is not here at this moment and you can bet that I won't run after her like a headless chicken, just because some _raggy_ pirates dragged themselves to her office demanding to be heard."

"HEY, I beg to differ we're not some kind of raggy pirates-" he stood up again.

"No, you're right, you ARE **the** raggy pirates. The bunch of, how do you call them, scallywags, who keep attracting the navy wherever they go," Kurama Norihito gave him a smirk filled with disdain.

Namikawa gaped for a moment, before standing back to his feet and countering the commander's statement:

"Hey, at least we're attracting something other than dirt and dust," he sat down, leaning back on the chair with a victorious smile and for a moment it seemed like he hit a nerve, because Kurama's expression slowly lost its calm and collected mask.

This lousy pirate dared to talk back. He dared to talk back to him, commander of the royal guards. To him, this was the worst possible joke one could tell.

"I can only recommend you to watch your words, after all, it only takes me one snap of my fingers and I won't only permit you from meeting her Highness, but also lock you up until the navy arrives collect you, like they did with the rest of your kind."

It seemed like he won that round, because suddenly Namikawa's face grew sullen, all mischief disappeared in an instant.

He was a little fish, so he didn't have much information about the ongoing incidents, but when he'd heard the word 'collect' he couldn't help but to let uneasiness seep into his heart.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Hm," Kurama snorted, resting his chin on his knuckles as he leaned forward in his chair. "Sorry, did I mention something I shouldn't have? Was it the pirates disappearing?"

"What do you know about that?"

"Everything. Anything? Yet nothing. It depends on what do you want to know about the big pirate genocide of our century."

Namikawa shook his head, trying to shake off the anger.

"You know, if I didn't know that you're a fugitive, I would say that you are that bastard Minamisawa's friend. Always trying to be cool, throwing in big and deep phrases, but when it comes to answering you both suck."

"What?" However, it seemed like the conversation started to get really annoying for the young commander, also the pirate mentioning Minamisawa, that traitor, didn't help either. "Don't dare to compare me to that scum."

"Or else? You've already tied up our hands by not letting us meet that Sea Rose of yours."

"And this is the exact reason why I won't ever let you meet her!"

"But, _but_ if we could talk to her, like, right know, you could get rid of us as soon as our ship is ready to go," he explained. "That way you wouldn't have to deal with us anymore, Kurama."

_That would be too easy_, thought Kurama, grabbing a pen on the desk, then pointing at Namikawa with it like it was his sword.

"What if I love dealing with you?"

"Then I recommend you to get a new job, because this would be unhealthy even at a mind-numbing multi-storey office." then under his breath, he added, "Also I don't swing the midget-way."

Kurama'd told Namikawa, "At least someone would have a job, pirate."

"A mind-numbing job." the pirate repeated with a victorious grin. "So before you turn my brain into jelly, I recommend you to call for her majesty because we don't have a whole year to wait for our appointment."

"Let me guess," Kurama snickered "It's the navy again, right? You're still about changing the world, by bringing them down? I should've known."

Namikawa looked at him, ready to punch the white haired man, but he kept his cool, not wanting to get the crew into more trouble. It was bad enough that they ended up at this Bermuda-triangle.

So he just sat there with lips twitching into a forced smile, before he realized his ace.

"Indeed. And the more time we spend here, the more dangerous it becomes for you. Those backboneless bastards keep sending tiny reminders to us. Pirates are hunted, their homes are destroyed along with their families and innocent relatives. Is it nor important? Because if I were you, I would do anything to get us meet your dear Rose, before Minamisawa arrives on the very ship he'd stolen from my _family_."

"So you're threatening me, now?" the commander let out a laugh. "Be it, wait until evening. I'll speak to her highness about the matter, and we will see if she will be willing to speak to you after our talk."

And thus, the pirate was defeated by Raimon's dog.

He earned nothing but more waiting for an uncertain answer and the one who disarmed him with such ease was none other than a half-pirate, a pirate who refused to follow the lead of others and cowardly took the riches of those who worked diligently.

In fact, this was even more humiliating than being scolded by a merman. Their kind was often seen as a tolerated group among pirates, because as their name suggested, they only used the name pirate to state their views about the world. No pillaging, roaming the seas, only trading and smuggling goods.

It was only natural that they were good at negotiation, but he didn't imagine, that Kurama Norihito, a fugitive would be so good at keeping his cool and twisting his words. And yet there he was, leaving his office with the atmosphere of a defeated army.

"How did it go?" Wanda asked when Namikawa closed the door behind him and they were going through the hall, escorted by a tabby who probably belonged to the Sea Rose.

"It was like playing tug-of-war with a wall," he admitted, taking on his tattered coat, "But I got a maybe. And a plan B, in case the _maybe_ was just an empty excuse."

The firstmate gave him a knowing look. He made sure to take a really _good_ look at the mansion before leaving for the closest pub.

**A/N: Oh, it's been a while! Sorry for the delay, uni's caught up with me, again. Still, I hope this chapter had enough thought-material until the next chapter! I'll try to work really hard so I can finish Akane's arc soon. **

**I recommend reading "My Beloved" if you're interested in Shindou's side of the story though. It takes place before the mainstory.**

**Once again, thank you for reading this mess of a story! I hope you liked it and maybe even liked it so much that it worth a review?*wriggles eyebrow* If it's not, it's still okay. I'm just glad that you didn't give up halfway. **


	16. Chapter 16

**[16] The Old Switcheroo**

The pub was lively compared to the silence of the island with fishermen telling stories to each other at the tables. It was a type of atmosphere the crew of Ornitier haven't really experienced since months of their departure. Not like they ever longed for the strong smell of fish and ale what hit them as soon as they stepped into the building, but in a way it was all part of the 'pub experience'.

"Are we serious about this?" Wanda asked with disbelief.

"Gotta stay unnoticed. They might get suspicious if we keep sniffing around without any goal," Namikawa stated and started looking for a free table for their group of three. As soon as the people's eyes met with Norikazu's they quickly got out of the way of the bigger man, thus ruining their plan of staying low.

They got visitors turning after them, eyeing their movements from the sideways as they arrived to the corner of the pub.

"How will they know where to look for us?" Norikazu asked the logical question as they took their seats.

"We're on the Sea Rose's turf, I bet she knows where to look for a bunch of outsiders," Wanda shrugged. "If not then we can just jump to plan B without ever having to worry about the opinion of her Highness," he took a whiff from his cup, as to close his thoughts.

Plan B contained a little bit of robbery and trespassing. Just what he liked about being a pirate. There was a bright contrast between walking around freely in a mansion in daylight and having to hide in the shadows to sneak around, gathering valuables. Though, with Rensuke on the captain's throne they rarely had the luxury to steal anything this way. 'Lousy thievery' the captain would often say, whenever he mentioned this way to earn some extra cash.

"And Plan B contains, what exactly?" Norikazu seemed to be lost.

"A hint of stealing, 2 cups of trespassing, 1 teaspoonful of harassing, some extra natural colouring, and the best, my personal favourite, poppy seeds!" Wanda listed the ingredients for their perfect plan. "Mix them up well, and you get plan B. Present with a glass of threatening, if you like that way."

Namikawa leant forward, his expression had a strange mix of annoyance and anger, "Naoto, can't you speak louder? I think they haven't heard us well enough at the entrance."

The first mate just shook his head, green locks falling forward over his shoulders from the movement, "But of course, there we have Captain Namikawa who _always_ has to be the malfunctioning oven. Way to go."

"What do you want to steal from there, anyway? It's a well-known fact that the Sea Rose sold her bijous after she started rebuilding the town," the captain was serious, however Naoto didn't let his words get to him.

"And you seriously believe this tale?"

"No, but I would better believe in this than stealing like lowlife thieves. If we're at it, why don't we go pickpocketing a bit, ha? Oh, wait, I know, why, because we are pirates."

"Moneyless pirates, if I might add."

"That doesn't mean you have to go around robbing the pirate leaders! Or would you steal from Captain Masatsugu?"

"First of all, he is dead. Secondly, when he was the captain we didn't have to stick to trading ships and negotiating with half-pirates, because we could freely attack anyone. Do you hear me, anyone!" Naoto replied keeping his calm.

"Guys, stop…" Norikazu tried to stand between the two sides, but it was a fruitless attempt. Lately Naoto's and Rensuke's relationship got really stormy despite they never really jumped at each other's throats before. He knew it was only matter of the when they two would get enough of each other's snarky remarks.

"Oh yes, because right now we're in the position to attack anyone! I have to think about the ship and the crew; I can't just lunge into battle with those monsters or a fully armed _caravella_, they would crush us in the nick of time!"

"If you were better at leading us, then probably the Ornitier wouldn't be filled with holes," the malice in Naoto's voice slowly seeped through Rensuke's brain completely poisoning his thoughts. So everything was his fault now? The more he thought about this accusation, the more ridiculous it got, especially when he remembered the crew's complaints about his firstmate not following orders, acting on his own.

Even Yoshimine's problems seemed to have some real sources.

"Fine, then." he quickly drank his beer, leaving the pub. He was about to go back to his ship, following the uneven cobblestone road when a voice called out for him.

"Captain Namikawa Rensuke?"

It was a girl around his age. She was wearing a red blouse accompanied by a simple white skirt and black sandals. But what caught the captain's attention were her two braids, resting on her shoulders.

Next to her stood a black haired boy, wearing the traditional clothes of the town. Smiling like talking to strangers was the most natural act of the world.

"Yes, why?" he turned to the pair.

"I came to bring you the answer of the Sea Rose. She declined your request to meet her in person. I'm terribly sorry to be the bringer of bad news," she slightly bowed her head, giving him a smile as a sign of apology.

"It's okay," he nodded, too tired to argue after what happened inside the pub. "Or more like, it's not okay, considering the fact that I wanted to speak with her about important matters. Can we still get a second chance? It would be important."

"I can't answer to this question, sorry," with this they walked away, leaving him no time to ask further questions leaving him in the middle of the road.

"Plan B, was it?" he muttered to himself, before returning to his mates with clear head. Suddenly the thought of breaking in sounded better than being locked out of the Pirate Leader's mansion.

"Back to business, eh?" Wanda greeted him with a sly smile, while Norikazu just looked at him with a look that said 'save me' and 'I want to escape' at the same time. No wonder, Wanda wasn't exactly the best drinking partner to be had.

"From now on, Plan B is our main objective," he announced, not caring about the comments. "Our request for peaceful negotiations have been annulled and I don't wish to spend more time here than necessary."

"It's understandable," said Norikazu. Thank god, they stopped arguing. Yet, he couldn't help but feel scared about the upcoming little mission. He wasn't the type who went unnoticed and silence was something he could never achieve.

"Also, Naoto, no stealing."

:::::::::: ::::::::

The Sea Rose's residence looked way less inviting than before. The garden, while thanks to the trees and bushes gave them plenty of hiding places it filled Rensuke's heart with uneasiness. Everything was too quiet around the house.

"Well, it's three in the morning," Norikazu answered his thoughts. "Are you sure about this, cap't?"

"She is almost uncatchable at daytime, so this is the only way."

"If you can call _this_ a way," Naoto added. "Now get going, before it dawns on us. Namikawa you're going to the right wing, the Sea Rose's room is upstairs, the room with next to the colourful painting. I'm going to take care of Commander Kurama. Norikazu, make sure that no one gets in or out."

"Just leave it to me," Norikazu nodded.

The pirates left him there, while they explored the mansion based on Naoto's information. He forgot to mention a few details, however. When Rensuke arrived to his destination his eyebrows lifted. There were no traps, but several rooms next to colourful paintings what only caused further confusion. Just which one was the right door?

"Argh!"

There were too many of them, each looking exactly the same as the one next to it. Whatever bad luck had him face this confusing hallway, he could only hope that none of these will reveal an angry officer, looking for trespassers like him. He truly wasn't in the mood to lock swords with the deckswabber.

In the end, he chose the door next to the painting of a three-headed monkey only to get assaulted by the random junk the owner of the mansion hid away in that small room. The first misstep, causing ruckus. He decided not to move for a while, as if he was waiting for a noise or a sign.

He stood there holding a staff in his hand, keeping his other hand on the handle of the door.

Yet, outside, everything was quiet. No one had noticed him or so it seemed.

Once he felt that it was safe to venture out again, he threw back the staff, resulting another collapse of stolen junk pile. Rensuke couldn't help but shrug, following the thought, that if the last mistake didn't wake them up, then a small little noise probably won't have any effect.

He gritted his teeth and went for the door that was between the painting of a rather ugly squid faced fellow, wearing a pirate hat of greyish colours and a painting of a sinking ship with the name Vasa on his side. It was the exact opposite of what Wanda told him, but also the only different place in the entire hallway. The odd one out.

"That spineless maggot," he cursed under his breath, opening the door.

He hit the jackpot.

If one wanted to describe the room, messy would be a too kind word for it. It was unfitting to a princess but Namikawa's mental gears come to a halt when he saw the form sleeping in the bed. His fingertips pressed to the hilt of his blunderbuss, in case he needed to threaten the young lady.

But he abruptly realized something strange, as he stepped closer to the bed and pulled down the cover the cover, only pillows greeted him arranged in the shape of a human. It was a trap. The clock's minute hand clicked forward engulfing the room with its quiet ticking, before Rensuke looked around, searching for their target, secretly hoping that the dummy's owner was not in the room. For several seconds nothing happened, the place was seemingly empty, but before he could've started looking for clues he felt the tip of something sharp pushed to his back.

"Good evening, Captain Namikawa," startled the captain pointed his blunderbuss at her, meeting the relaxed yet fierce gaze of a girl. "May I remind you that a gun is quite ineffective against a sword?"

"Whoops, I guess I got caught," he let out a shaky laugh before. His eyes widened in surprise, because she looked exactly like the girl at the pub. "What bought you by?"

"Asks the person invading my officer's bedroom," she added, confirming her identity.

"This explains the mess. But why here out of all places?" demanded Rensuke.

"Because you're simple as a doorstop. When Kurama'd told you to leave the mansion alone, it took you no time to come up with this plan of trespassing. I thought I would trick you a little, but I guess you got double-crossed."

"What?"

"So dense," she lowered her sword. "If I switched rooms with my officer, and you ended up meeting me and not him, despite your scouts information where does the conclusion led you, dear captain?"

"That I'm going to hit my useless quartermaster for this," he growled under his breath. He thought it was just mere coincidence, but now he was sure that Naoto was the reason of this switcheroo. But then a smirk appeared on his face, "If the dwarf didn't beat me to it."

"Mm. I'm pretty sure they've locked blades already," she nodded with a pleased expression. "But let's get back to you, what are your goals?"

"I… want to talk to you," he spoke hesitantly.

"I do hope it's not a love confession."

"No, it's nothing like that."

"Then I do hope your crew won't start serenading to me in the middle of the night."

Namikawa straightened his posture, trying to regain his remaining pride in front of the feared vixen, "No, I came here to talk about pirating."

"Aw, yes, an ageless topic. Now, now, if you excuse me I have to prepare for those extremely important news. I can't wait to hear them, but coffee comes first."

Words were her playthings, and as they left Kurama's room, Rensuke reminded himself to keep distance from the rose of the sea because the soft look was hiding something deadly. He felt trapped, but now he couldn't back out from the business, and the only option was to keep quiet about the matters what only concerned the crew of Ornitier.

**A/N: Another chapter! Uni's grip has lessened on my shoulders, finally! I'll try to work really hard so the next chapters won't come out in July, though I guess I do a good job at keeping the one chapter in every month speed. **


	17. Chapter 17

**[17.] With a Grain of Salt**

Before Namikawa could start looking around in the familiar office, Akane appeared in the doorway, still wearing her nightgown, but now she had a knitted green cardigan over her shoulders what ruined the image of the serene goddess.

"Captain Namikawa, do you have any reason to be here?" she asked, stepping to her desk. As she sat down she kept looking at Rensuke, eagerly waiting for an answer.

"The usual. It's just that someone is nearly unreachable during the day. It's not my fault that we got desperate," the captain tried to defend himself but only earned that Akane , who until now looked at him with an emotionless expression, slowly raising her brows as the man sitting in front of her went into details.

"Captain, that's all nice and great, but you know it well that there are less deviant ways to get my attention."

"Aye, I gotta admit you're right. There are, but currently time is on our tail so we have no time for your petty little games."

"I'm sorry, if that little prank with Kurama came off like that. It was simply a test whether you are to be trusted our not," she sighed, before smiling at Rensuke again. "So about your business, what brings you here tonight?"

"What do you know about the fishmen?" he asked without trying to take a few rounds around the topic.

"You mean the merfolk?"

"No, not the merfolk, but actual human shaped fish monsters. As tall as a regular human, stand on two legs, but everything else just looks like a fish with sharp claws."

Namikawa could see faint worry appearing on the Sea Rose's face, but she quickly hid it, answering with her usual sweet tone, "I'm afraid but I don't know anything about these creatures you've just described. Have they only appeared recently?"

"Yes, on our way we've come across the Dauntless."

"Captain, the Dauntless is resting at the bottom of the sea," she tried to argue, but Rensuke cut her off.

"We lived with these thoughts, but what we saw on that day was the old Dauntless with our village's jolly roger. Or do you think the _Artemicion_ or Minamisawa could send out the exact copy of their pride, what was stolen and sunken in the span of a week?"

Akane knew he story of the _Tribalis_ and the _Dauntless_ almost too well. She had arrived to the area in the midst of those events thus she understood Rensuke's connection to the case and how he would not make up a lie about it. But to think that a ship would just resurface and attack the crew of the Ornitier seemed absurd.

"Are you sure that the ship you saw on that day was the Dauntless?"

"Yes."

"I'll make sure to send this information to the other Lords. However, I can't do anything about the fishmen without any evidence. I hope you understand this, captain." Akane trailed off, then looked at Namikawa again. "If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you about your cargo, though."

"Our cargo?" Rensuke's eyes widened in surprise, but he kept sitting in his chair.

This meant that the business talk was over. Akane took advantage of his visit by averting their discussion.

"This evening I've got some news about the Ornitier's rather… hm… unique design."

"What do you mean?" he leaned forward.

"My workers have reported me that on your deck, there is a boat filled with water. From the look on your face I assume that I'm right. I can't help, but wonder what led such serious captain to commit such silliness. So what is the reason?"

For once Namikawa felt like a cornered animal ready to be slaughtered at the hands of a fairy godmother. Probably no matter what kind of excuse he told her, the Sea Rose would _know_ everything about the bigger picture.

"…."

"Surely not drinking water, but as I've heard there were no fish either."

Their cooperation depended on his answer, the girl made it clear with her gestures and the piercing look that prevented Namikawa from coming up with a lie. With furrowed brows he took a whiff from his coffee then answered.

"Nothing like that, you're right. But if I were to face up my cards what would be left in my hands?"

"I understand your concern, but to remind you, I'm not your fellow piratess. I'm all ears."

Namikawa had to think about this.

If he reveals Yoshimine that would either cause destruction or attract Akane to their side, yet truth to be told none of them really worth the effort. The village was filled with mermaid-fanatics, if they got the wind of a merman residing near their village who knows what would happen.

No doubt, by avoiding the clear answer he leaves a great opportunity slip past him, but he couldn't risk the safety if his crew.

"I'm terribly sorry, Sea Rose, but the knot on my tongue prevents me from speaking about my ship," he shrugged.

There were no lies.

He truly couldn't speak about his ship.

"In that case, I would like to ask you to give up on your most prized possession. You certainly can't take care of _him_ in that tiny boat of yours."

And that was the moment when it hit Namikawa. As he saw the direction of their meeting, he suddenly felt like shouting, hitting the table and leaving. Anger rose in his heart at enormous speed.

"He is not my prized possession. Heck, he is not even mine, to begin with."

"Yet, you keep a merman on your deck in such cramped place," She'd long since seen through of him. The Sea Rose, the mighty female pirate was this fearsome.

Namikawa seemed to have realized that because he tried to regain his cool, wanting to save the conversation.

"It was his decision," he answered with a straight face. "That merman is not my prized possession, nor a bounty; he is in fact, a member of my crew."

"Oh!" her gaze fell to the captain's hands what gripped the handle of the wooden chair like it was his last connection to this world. She knew this emotion all too well and if she were to pick this nest of wasps a little more, she would be in a pinch. "You're strangely devoted to a soulless creature."

"I doubt that," said Namikawa. "he might have his own way of doing things but he is certainly not soulless."

Akane didn't know what kind of face she should make at the captain's statement. She expected a different answer, gainsaying her other statement.

"Interesting. Then, I assume you know it not, the legend of mermaids."

"No, no, no, look, I know this simple fairy tale, but you're ten years too early to convince me that mermen are soulless!"

"Let me hear your explanation."

"Aye, gladly, but I can't really grasp the reasons. In my opinion, those who feel always possess a soul."

"They're just pretending to look more human."

Namikawa grinned at her answer.

"I always knew a simulant when I see one. But this merman, you see, he is capable of emotions such as happiness, sadness or even anger. I've yet to experience fear, although I'm not so keen on that."

"So what you mean is that he is capable of the six basic human emotions. But dear captain, even a dog can show those, what makes a merman different?"

"I know it not," He truly didn't know. "He wants to prove himself, he feels discouraged at times, even lost… If this doesn't prove his soul, then I don't know what I should throw at you."

He was waiting for Akane to counter his words, even hurt him in some way, but all she did was sitting there with a gentle smile on her lips.

"A friendship like this is rare," she stated. The way Namikawa talked about the merman left no room for questions about his motivations. The slight blush that appeared on the captain's cheeks just confirmed her suspicions. "Pirates usually see merfolk as trophies. Bounties to sell at the black-market, just like how they sell animals for taxidermies. Rich men keep their hide and stuffed bodies in their treasury."

She could see Namikawa slowly losing colours. Probably he never thought about the darker side of being a mermaid, but Akane knew stories and smugglers too well.

"May I ask, how did you earn the trust of a merman? They're really suspicious and timid creatures."

"I got into trouble, he saved my life and we made a blood oath," he said showing her the scar on his palm. "After that, nothing could scare him away, so I'm stuck with that idiot."

Akane looked shocked for a moment, "Sharing blood with a human is dangerous, but sharing blood with a merman?! Oh god, captain, it's a fortune that both of you're still alive!"

"Why?" Namikawa gave her a dumbfounded expression. He started to wonder if it's the tiredness was speaking from her, because blood oaths were rather common among pirates. They said, if they got an infection after that, it just proved the impurity of their intentions.

"Because their blood is extremely dangerous. It does weird things to humans, even killing them in the process."

"In this case, I think Misaki is different, because I had no problems after our oath and he seems to be fine," he laughed, hiding his hand.

Akane brought her hands to her braid, twirling one of her locks before asking further questions about their meeting, how Yoshimine ended up being the member of a pirate crew and Namikawa answered without further hesitation. This kind of pleasant and intellectual talk haven't suited him, but compared to what he had to endure everyday it was a good change of pace.

"Captain, may I ask about your merman's family? How does his fins look like?" she asked at the end of his tale.

"It has this orangish-redish colour, it looks like a red snapper to be honest."

It was Akane's turn to be surprised. Her constant smile disappeared, giving space to a worried and sulking expression.

"That would be… quite unfortunate then."

"Why?"

"You'll know soon enough."

"Sea Rose, I came here to ask for your help what you couldn't give me and you ended up interrogating me about my crewmember, now I'm asking you to explain why the looks of my merman is 'unfortunate' because I'm sure as hell that he is not poisonous."

Akane could only sigh, averting her gaze. She kept her eyes on the window, as if the answers were hidden there, among the trees. She shook her head.

"Do you remember when I told you that merfolk are being hunted? That was the reason why I wanted to find out your reason to have someone like Misaki, was this his name, on your deck. God help me, I hope I'm wrong, but if Misaki indeed has red scales and looks like a red snapper as you've mentioned, there is a high chance that he is one of the survivors of the genocide that took place on the south."

"Wh-what do you mean by that? What kind of genocide?"

"Right now, their colonies are attacked by both navy and scavenger ships. Just in the span of a month hundreds of them disappeared without any traces. If he is from there, then it's a miracle that he survived, because… they rarely leave any survivors."

Rensuke felt nauseous at the thought of someone slaughtering underwater creatures, but now he saw the picture clearer. The reason why Kabutenji warned him about the changes in the sea. They knew about it all along, but refused to tell him.

Everything made his stomach churn at that moment. Pity, disgust, fear… they appeared in the same time, making him dizzy, but he managed to collect his strength and stood up, nodding towards Akane. "Is that all?"

"I'm afraid not, but right now I don't have more information. I would rather keep my aces until it is absolutely needed to reveal them."

Rensuke took a deep breath and apologized for the intrusion, but right before he was about to leave Akane's office, the young pirate leader called after him.

"Captain, I couldn't help but grew curious… No.. never mind. I'll ask you when the time is right."

With this he left the house with Wanda and Norikazu trotting after him like loyal puppies. Apparently they had their fair share of scolding for the dwarf named Kurama, who was really angry when Wanda appeared in Akane's bedroom.

And yet, they said nothing even if it was a story worth sharing.

Given Namikawa's expression and actions the discussion didn't go well.

::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::

Back at the ship, Misaki was still sitting in the captain's cabin, his mind constantly slipped into shallow sleep, so to prevent himself from sleeping in he occasionally shook his head as if that could take away his tiredness.

The others have gone back to their cabins already, only the guard made his routes up and down on the deck, but even he stopped his routine after some time and disappeared along with the lamp that kept bringing light through the windows.

The darkness started to get really welcoming, but he intended to keep awake until Namikawa arrived in case he starts complaining about his presence. To his surprise, when the cabin's door opened the captain was silent. Without saying a word, Rensuke walked to his own bed, falling on it like a heavy and rather tired rock kicking off his shoes with his last bits of energy.

"How was it?" Misaki asked seeing the slow motions of his captain.

To his question, Rensuke buried his head into his pillow as if he was trying to avoid answering, but in the end, decided to give Misaki a muffled scolding.

"Next time, you tell us your problem, ok? It's definitely not enjoyable when the Sea Rose has to enlighten me about my own crew members."

That was his last sentence before falling asleep, still in his coat.

Misaki couldn't help but stare at him with a puzzled expression, slowly sliding down to his cold and rather hard bed. What kind of problem? What the hell did he do again that made Rensuke angry?

This didn't make any sense. Not like things ever made sense around him, he was just as bad as the currents of his home sea.

Furthermore, he had the feeling Rensuke is going to be angry once he wakes up.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**A/N: Ah, the problem when discussions have a central place in your story arc, but you have to keep them enjoyable. But don't worry, this is the last lore-heavy chapter for now, after this many swordfightings and heartbreakings appear on the horizon. I think I can calmly say, that this arc will close the "prelude" or the introduction of characters. Or so I hope that in the past year you've come to know them at least a little bit. It's kinda hard writing about 16 people + other at once.**

**In the following chapter we will say our farewells to Akane and her villagers with an unexpected turn of events and an old acquaintance greeting the Ornitier for the first time since we began this journey.**


	18. Chapter 18

**[18.] Captured Lie**

The morning couldn't come slow enough and whether he liked it or not his instincts made him sprung up with the first rays of the sun. After all, the ship needed to be checked before the others came and ruined his perfect order. He opened the doors to let some fresh air into the heart of the ship. (Even if the enormous hole on the Ornitier's side provided them with that lately.) And started listing the to-dos for that day.

This was his favourite part of the bosun post. Checking the cables and ropes, making sure that everything is ready for the day, without having to listen to the chatter of the crew was his special time.

No one else just the ship and him.

Saruga let out a long yawn as he stretched his shoulders, gripping the rails of the ship with a satisfied smile on his lips. The port was still asleep, safe for the early birds who have gone out on their tiny sailboats to catch the first fish of the day.

Now he only needed to find some jobs for the sleeping slackers.

"My, I could get used to mornings like this," he huffed. His gaze stopped at the captain's door, which was in the need of some serious repainting.

Was he back already? He kind of gave up waiting when he saw the eastern sky brightening. And the following thought emerged in his mind, "Have they taken Misaki out of his cabin or those flutterbrained idiots forgot it, I wonder. Nah, probably, we would've heard it if they did." He shook off his doubts rather fast.

He went closer to the cabin's window, the one that opened to the deck, curiously peeking inside, hoping that his captain was still asleep. The scene that appeared through dusty the glass made him smile, probably a bit more than it should have. True, it was rather unnatural to see them get along so well, mostly because both of them were sleeping like logs, so they really had no time for their usual petty arguments.

Now if he could take a photo of this moment…

Yet, since the captain was out of commission but he still needed to consult someone about their plans for that day there was no other option but to visit the second person on the ship, who, right after Rensuke was none other than Wanda Naoto.

But the truth was, that he hadn't felt really comfortable around the young first mate. He never did.

The way Naoto used to twist words and play with them made Saruga Souma really careful around him, like a rodent who was playing around a cat_. Just one step at a time_, was the thought what he always carefully chewed before anything left his lips.

Saruga took a breath then knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Surprisingly, the first mate was awake despite their late arrival.

As he entered the room, his eyes met with Naoto's who was sitting on his bed, reading some sort of novel. One thing was sure, he couldn't read the title; since he was always more interested in the technical and practical side of the world, than to read it out from books he hadn't had this ability. However, one glance at a ship, and he knew what to do about the problem. His mind was filled with ideas and possible options to eliminate the error.

But Naoto was the complete opposite, constantly burying himself into books, searching for answers to question no one ever asked.

"It's about a count," Wanda went back to his book when Souma deemed to be too silent. "A count who was framed by his own besties and ended up spending his whole life in prison."

"That's nice and all, but-" No, actually it sounded like a really depressing story.

"He got out, though," Wanda continued. "Using the death of his best friend, the count escaped and avenged his imprisonment. This made me wonder, does it always have to end like this? Don't get me wrong I still haven't finished all volume of his epic, so there is still a ray of hope that this count too, will have a knife in his heart before the last page."

And this is what Souma hated about Naoto. The way he just trailed off, describing the complex plot of the books he had read made the bosun angry. It was a knowledge he hadn't needed since he learned speaking, also most of these books had no real base, so they just all trashed in the deep water, slowly sinking if one was about to point out the errors, caused by misinformations. To think that Naoto was so immersed in these works!

"But I'm sure you're not here to discuss my readings, so what's up?" he put down the book and sat up, hair falling on his shoulders. Souma had the feeling the first mate woke up way before him just to continue his book.

"And that is, correct. I wanted to ask you about the plans for today since the capt' is still sleeping in his cabin. There are some minor errors on the hull that need to be corrected, but also we have that problem with the ship's kitchen, and I think we might have change the lower ropes as they're nearing the end of their days," he finished hoping that the message reached Naoto and he won't start quoting deep phrases as an answer.

"Have you finished cleaning the cabins?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Aye, though Tooru asked us to refill his medicine stocks since he ran out of bandages and et cetera." And the second, also lowest deck corridor was in dire need of cleaning.

"Tell him to write a list of this… et cetera, then. I'll see what I can do for him. After that do what it needs to be done to get the ship in shape," he shrugged, before looking up from his pages again. "Anything else?"

"Nah, not really."

In fact, there were tons of small things, but he didn't need handholding, especially not from Naoto. And without another word he silently went back to the deck.

::::::::: ::::::::

Yet, same happiness avoided Misaki that morning. Instead he had to fight off the slight confusion and the unpleasant sounds that came from above. It wasn't that terrible, but it was enough to shake him out of his dream.

What he instantly noticed was the lack of breeze. The smell is sea was still present, but the familiar sounds were much quieter, almost non-existent in contrast of the noises that came from the bed next to him. The poor merman could only hope that it will stop, knowing how he had no way of escaping.

The second thing that piqued his attention was the soft, yet soaked stuffed cloth. It must've fallen down from the bed, because he clearly remembered falling asleep without the gaudy piece. Though, it didn't bother him that much, because anything was better than the hard seat at the end of his temporary merman storageboat.

However, he didn't notice the part of the blanket that hanging in the water, soaking through overnight. He would've probably waited until Namikawa's entire bed swam in salty seawater, but without this knowledge, accompanied by the annoying sounds coming from the captain he forgot to wait and swung the heavy pillow into the captain's face.

And with this that, the snoring stopped and gave place to a loud yell, before out of pure reflex Rensuke sent back Yoshimine's gift with the same force it'd arrived.

"What's your goddamned problem?" he looked hurt, water dripping from his messy and now, wet locks.

"The sounds you made, that's my problem!" Misaki growled back yet his statement had met some misunderstandings because a red tint appeared on the captain's cheeks, slowly spreading on his ears.

"Have I said something?" he asked hesitantly, surprising even Misaki. Was he embarrassed? Had he just seen the captain's another side on the surface? A small smile appeared on his face.

"Hmm. Maybe, just maybe you've said something about a fair mer_maiden_ and-"

"You're good at lying, but this time it failed," the captain interrupted him from finishing his fib.

"Ah, there is always a next time!" the merman let out a small laugh. "Though I hope you'll stop that unearthy noise. It's disturbing."

"What do you mean?"

"Whenever you took a breath, it was loud, really loud. I prayed to the god of sea to let me close my ears like otters!"

"H-hey! I don't snore!" he snapped back at the merman..

"Is this how you humans call this? Suffocating in your sleep has this unimportant sounding word?!" he sounded amused. "And yes, you snore. Don't even try to deny it."

"Captains don't snore," he told him, pouting like a child.

"Only the captains who act like an eight years old," he teased him, resting his head on the edge of the bed, upon seeing the hurt look in Rensuke's face he corrected himself "Okay, ten."

He should've been angry, yet Rensuke just accepted the challenge and went with the flow countering Misaki's words and chaining their argument into one big necklace just like they always did. It was a good way to kill time before starting their daily routine.

However, as they kept talking, the merman's attention wandered to a single, unusually placed piece of paper, lying between the wrinkles of the blanket. It must've been there for a long time, because the envelope looked like someone just dragged it out of a shark's mouth, minus the water.

Was this a so called letter of confession? Did Rensuke keep it there to reminisce about the life he'd left behind? All kind of thought appeared in his brain before reaching out and snatching it, but after inspecting the paper, safe for the curvy letters he grew disappointed. It was untouched.

"What's this?" he handed the envelope to the captain, who without even looking at Misaki took the envelope. His good spirit disappeared when he read the recipient though.

"A letter I forgot about. Must've fallen out of my pocket back in Rottingham," he answered hesitantly. he'd almost begun to believe that he lost it somewhere on the way back.

Misaki looked lost for a moment before asking, "Aren't letters important to humans?"

"Depends on the kind of letter, I guess," he frowned lightly. He thought that the last letter left by his captain was gone and now it was back, haunting him just like that day when they left that cursed kingdom.

"Shouldn't you read it? That's what people do with letters, no?"

"Do you ever feel unsure?" Rensuke smirked.

"More than you can imagine. But I also know that eliminating the problem might led me to some kind of temporary peace, even if it won't last for long," he explained in an utterly serious tone. "If you can't fall asleep you have to find out what prevents you and then, finding a solution is easy."

"What if there is no solution?" Rensuke raised an eyebrow, glancing at the merman.

"There is always one… or two… or more. Depends on the situation you're in," he answered.

The serious and understanding words coming from the merman shocked Rensuke at first, but at the same time it calmed him to the point where he got curious about the contents of the letter.

"Can I leave this in your care until the evening?" he handed it to Misaki, before reaching for his coat. The merman only nodded, putting the envelope back on the bed.

"You don't have to worry. I can't read it," he added. "But no one else will."

"You're a slippery salmon, but I trust your words."

"Oh~! Was this a compliment or just irony coming from you, captain?"

"Perhaps both," he smirked.

Leaving behind his cabin, Rensuke stepped out to the deck, inspecting the status of his ship. Despite the morning, the sunrays quickly attacked him with their scorching heat, while the cool sea breeze brushed past him.

To his surprise the rest of the crew had already started working alongside the carpenters Saruga'd found on the island.

"Oi, captain, you've finally left dreamland!" Tairamaru greeted him with a cheerful grin. He had a bucket in his hand, filled with debris and burnt wood.

"Aye," Rensuke nodded, still trying to find his place in the ship's buzzy life. "Is everything going according to plans?"

"Yep, absolutely everything. We're almost done with the lower regions, the only task left is to clean the kitchen and put back the wall," he listed swinging his bucket while talking. "Oh yes, and the Sea Rose wants to talk to you later, so expect her visit, I was told."

"Ugh, again?" he groaned.

"Don't look at me cap't. I just gave you her message," he shrugged

"I know, I know. Just surprised that she wants to talk with me after our last discussion. We've pretty much finished our business and the Sea Rose herself didn't look like a person who would pursue any further negotiations…"

A third, strict voice joined their conversation,

"Actually, I wanted to talk with Yoshimine, not you captain," the Sea Rose spoke from a boat that anchored next to their ship. "My apologies, if you had your hopes high."

Within a few moment she already climbed up the ladder on the ship's side, greeting the familiar faces among the carpenters. But now she wasn't there to help them or to spy the Ornitier herself. It was the merman. The merman whose intentions were unknown yet he served under the wings of the most promising captain of the archipelago.

She needed to know if the merman was an ally to their cause or a foe sent by someone.

"May I meet him?" she inquired, stepping closer to Rensuke's cabin with great familiarity.

"I guess. He is bored out of his head anyway," he shrugged. "But I'm keeping an eye on you, your Highness!"

_In case you want to drag him into some kind of shady business,_ he said to himself before leading the Sea Rose to his door.

"The lady here wants to talk with you," he announced with a suppressed grimace. "If you need me I will be outside, helping the boys."

He did not bother giving voice to his frustration even though he wanted to be there, preventing both Yoshimine and the Sea Rose from spilling out secrets like a holey bucket. That vixen was a fearsome enemy after all.

::::::::: ::::::::

The air became tense the moment the Sea Rose closed the door behind her as if she had exiled every bit of the joking and often cheeky atmosphere what tended to linger around Misaki. It looked like the merman understood the weight of her visit, though he wasn't overwhelmingly happy about it.

"Typical," Akane noted as she looked around in the messy room. She didn't sit down and probably she didn't have any plans for doing so.

"What can I do for you?" Misaki merely murmured in a flat voice.

"Let's talk!" Akane beamed, her voice returning to her angelic phase utterly surprising the young merman. He'd spent about a day listening as the others threw dirt at the Sea Rose for having a fox like nature, but he wasn't sure what to expect until now.

At first he was relieved by her friendly greeting, but it was way too unnatural so Misaki skilfully kept his face neutral.

"If you insist. What can I help you with, her… Highness? You're surely not here to discuss the events of the night or the past few days."

"Obviously. What has been discussed is already in the past, what I'm interested in though is your connection to these rookie pirates. There must be a solid reason for you to be here," she noticed something on the merman's face what appeared to be a pained expression, but it quickly disappeared not leaving her a chance to use it for her advantage.

If anyone could witness their talk from outside, they would've seen not a fierce fight of swords, but minds because if there was one thing that was really different with Misaki is that he'd used his brain.

"I was interested in the life of a pirate, that's all. Raising toast together after robbing the rich travellers! Drinking 'til we drop from the alcohol. Isn't this a life filled with adventure unlike the sea where I was doomed to swim around all day?"

"If you can call this a life, then be it," said the Akane. The calmness in her voice was accompanied by a fearsome gaze, however, "You might've fooled Namikawa but you're a terrible liar compared to senators."

His confidence left Misaki as he looked up to the girl, "You're not the first person who said this to me today, you know."

"Now, now, what is your real reason? Surely not pirating your precious time away with them," she nodded towards the deck. "I know about your village and what happened, but I can't out a finger on your reasons. Why join a pirate ship where you are binded to a tiny boat instead of asking help from your kind."

"The other merfolk are stubborn, they refuse to help. Nothing can harm them, they say and when the navy comes, they are just as useful as a paddle underwater," Misaki muttered after few seconds.

"So you thought a pirate can help you," Akane finished the sentence for him.

"…"

"Or that you can use them," Misaki's eyes widened in surprise, he opened his mouth then closed it again. He tried to find words to disprove Akane's idea, but he was unable to. The girl hit the nail on its head. "I take this as a yes."

"Look, you have to understand-"

"Oh~, I do understand the situation. Alone in the big sea, you find a bunch of pirates, their captain is in trouble so you save him, but you are in luck, because this captain is _soft_. The pirate blood is thick in his veins, yet he is too gullible and lets you on his ship to fulfil his oath. You don't have to tell me the whole story. What I'm interested in… what are you going to do after that?"

Misaki'd been listening with his mouth tightly drawn. It was clear that the Sea Rose lived up to her name quite well.

"What do you mean? After you've unveiled my plan you should now it better," he let out a faint laugh.

Akane chuckled, reaching out for Rensuke's storm-beaten hat, "Maybe yes. Is this ship only a sacrificial pawn for you, though?"

"No," he said without thinking. "I… Look, when I first arrived here, I wanted to use them to get the ship that raided my village, but this is not the case anymore!"

"Aye. Then why do you still travel with them?"

Misaki fell silent, averting his gaze. His thirst for revenge was still there, but if they were to confront that ship, he would risk the crew and Rensuke.

"I will go away once my—"

Akane made a _'tch'_ sound with her tongue, then walked to him putting the hat on Misaki's head.

"Men. And there I was thinking that mermen have more common sense. I thought you were clever, but you're just as hard headed as your captain," she sighed. "Do you think he would let you go away?"

"Hey, he hates me! Or so I think," he said, raising his hands in defence.

Akane couldn't help but chuckle at the merman's reaction. "I wish I could tell you. But listen; don't cause him _or _the crew any grief. They've been through a lot and you tagging along seems to bring back that famous Marine Snow spirit."

Marine Snow's name caught his attention. This name often appeared when the crewmembers were talking among each other, leaving Misaki confused.

"Sea rose," he spoke with more confidence now, "Who is this Marine Snow? I keep hearing it, but now one is willing to tell me. Whenever it comes to this they keep changing the topic or saying that the situation is too complicated."

A wry smile appeared on her lips,

"Now that's something I can't tell you. Only, and only Rensuke or someone from the Ornitier. Ask him, and see if he is in the mood for a small talk. But only bring it up if you're ready or else it might be too much burden for you."

The merman nodded.

But would Namikawa listen to him? This was an eternal mystery, but also a good way to test him.

"I'm forever grateful for our talk. You'd helped me a lot," she said, stepping away from the boat. "Now, if you'll excuse me I have to attend to my duties."

Not knowing what to say she eventually turned her back to the merman and left the cabin.

:::::::::: ::::::::

Miles away from the Ornitier, but still near the island of Angler's Reef a tiny sailboat was swaying in the water with a net casted on its rear side. However, the fishermen who'd used this small vessel to collect food for their village were holding a staring contest, all four of them searching for that unfamiliar brown ship on the horizon. It only appeared for a moment, but it couldn't avoid their trained eyes.

"Wha' do ya think that was?" asked one of them as he pulled in the net.

"Not our ship, that's for sure. But I bet Lady Akane would be happy if we could catch some intruders for her. T'at would mean we are keeping the coast clear," he answered proudly.

"Are you saying that we should catch them?"

"Of course, if they're picking a fight, then we will just throw them in the sea. So are you with me?!" he shouted from the top of his lungs and earned a loud cheer from his friends.

However they missed one tiny sign, only the six masts what slowly grew taller and taller as they were occupied by the scout ship.

**A/N: And with this I end this chapter before we jump back at the Ornitier's crew in "Your Truth is my False", I have the feeling that too, will reach the length of this chapter. Even just thinking about it makes my imagination list tons of pages and events… My author's notes are starting to get extremely repetitive, so I want to do something else for a change.**

**I wonder if you found out the title of the book Wanda was reading. It's a timeless classic and thanks to the brilliant phrasing of the Hungarian translation it ended up as one of my all-time favourites so I couldn't help but include it in some way. Just like how the ships are all named after Final Fantasy characters. Artemicion, Ornitier, Tribalis and the soon to be introduced Alexandria!**


	19. Chapter 19

**[19] Your Truth is my False**

Needless to say, when Rensuke'd first heard about Misaki's plans anger flooded his body and he was about to kick down the door. However, he was quickly reminded of the fact that he was eavesdropping on a private conversation and the previously mentioned action wouldn't be the best idea.

'I should grow a backbone,' he noted to himself bitterly as he stepped away from the window.

"It's not like you, to have your ear on your own wall," Wanda noted from behind. Rensuke faced ahead, refusing to let Wanda get the better of him and without hesitating he replied.

"Look who's talking. The Sea Rose bothers me, that's all," he turned toward Naoto, who in response, cocked his head to one side in disbelief. "She is friendly now, but who knows about the bigger picture. Not us."

"Then you should've nagged them to let you in. It's your cabin after all!"

The captain couldn't help but laugh, putting his hands into his pockets. It was true. He was the captain after all, but admitting his mistake still hurt his pride more than he would ever admit.

"Yet, there are some things you can only hear when people are in a different circles. But you ought to know that better than me," Rensuke smiled, causing Naoto to become tense for a second.

But of course, he knew that almost too well by now. After all, he was Rensuke's ear when it came to spying on cargoships and their wares. There was no information that could escape from him if he was asked to get it.

Before Wanda could answer his captain, the door opened and Akane stepped out to the deck. A faint smile appeared on her face when she saw the boys, but she didn't go near them to chit-chat. Instead, her eyes were searching for someone else who'd been on the ship in her company. Within minutes, a tanned boy, who was working alongside the carpenters until now, appeared in front of her, giving Akane his trademark smile and a small nod before escorting her back to the boat.

"That must be her boyfriend," Wanda told him once they were sure the Sea Rose was on her way back to the island.

Rensuke didn't question Naoto's words. There was no need to. If he was indeed her boyfriend that was just an additional information with no reason to be kept or remembered if they're not going to get involved with the Sea Rose in circumstances where this knowledge could be handy.

"What do you think about the ship's condition?" he asked, completely changing the topic.

"We need a day or two, I think. Saruga had been working on getting her in shape since dawn," Naoto explained thinking back at his morning. "Gosh, he even asked me to give him orders. Can you believe it? Who the hell starts thinking about cleaning the ship at dawn?!" he complained as they were making rounds on the upper deck.

"Hey, at least someone does his job on this ship. He is the best bosun I've ever seen in my life!" Rensuke replied proudly.

"Like you've seen so many of them," Wanda laughed, giving him a gentle hit on the arm.

"Hey, are you belittling your captain?" he asked in a joking manner.

Wanda's lips curled even more. "Nope, just proving that you're still a greenhorn among greenhorns. Nothing hurtful in that."

"Coming from you even this sounded like an insult," said Rensuke.

The firstmate just shrugged. Words were his weapons after all.

:::::::: .:::::::

At first everyone was wary about Nagisa and his little companion, but they never said a word about it in front of him, fearing that the boy would get angry at them for speaking ill about his new friend. Namely; Azu.

The boy refused to leave Nagisa's side, constantly following him around like a silent shadow who, in his case could help the smaller boy with his daily routine. The green haired gunner was flustered by the newly found follower at first, but slowly he got used to his companion and hostage. Though, hostage was not really the right word in his case, because after a week or two the mute boy and the gunner came to a silent agreement of cooperation.

Whatever Nagisa was up to, Azu helped without further questions.

However this didn't mean that the boy let Nagisa closer to him. Despite their good relationship, Azu would flinch and lean away whenever it came to physical contact, even if it was just a pat on the back. The gunner had a feeling this is deeply connected to the fact that the boy refused to speak so he decided to pursue the problem on this clue.

"Just put that over there," he instructed the white haired boy, when Azu showed him a soaked bag. " Just focus on finding the soaked materials, we will think about what to do with them once that's done."

The two of them were fighting with the mess in the kitchen, trying to sort out the food that was ruined in the attack. Most of their provisions became wet either from the seawater or humidity, but his wasn't their biggest problems as potatoes and vegetables like carrots still had a chance if they dried them soon. That was something they did the moment they first had a chance, but others were not this lucky and it took forever to check every single crate and bag, writing a list, then dropping the rotting and potentially dangerous food in one place.

"This is not the job for a gunner like me," he whined kicking a bag of flour to their pile. "I should be up there tending the guns and the cannons, not cleaning up the mess."

Azu gave him an understanding glance, before going back to work only to be disturbed by Nagisa's growling.

"Did you ever had to do something like this at your old ship?" he earned a surprised look from the boy. Nagisa rarely asked him about the Tribalis or the Dauntless, so Azu seemed lost at the sudden question.

He nodded hesitantly.

"That sucks. What else was your profession?" Azu flinched. "Come on, I'm not asking it out of malice and you know that too. You were a gunner, aren't you?"

The boy shook his head.

"Then a bosun? Coxswain? Lookout?"

Another series of headshaking. Nagisa started to think that Azu was much more important than they first thought.

"Then… Captain?"

The boy wore a pained grimace, but showed that he wasn't in that position.

"Then, first mate, is it?"

A nod, his eyes begging for forgiveness.

"Whoa! Never thought that a first mate is going to help me," Nagisa chuckled with an amused smile, but the response he'd earned was only a started yelp. Azu quickly pointed at his own mouth, then made an X with his hands. "Okay, I won't tell anyone as long as it is not important, but if the captain asks I can't lie to him, you have to understand that."

The gunners reward for his statement was a short nod and a relieved expression what hold the meaning of a hundred 'thank you's.

"Do you think you'll ever talk again?" he said out loud when he was checking his list. True, he liked Azu, he was clever and now, that he knew about his position on the Tribalis, he was not afraid to give him more complex tasks, but at the same time he disliked the silence.

The eyes are the mirrors of the heart, they say, but sometimes mirrors are not enough. That's when words are needed to fill the gaps that leads to the other person, but Azu lacked these.

However Nagisa decided to keep on trying. "Well, I won't give up on you so easily. You'll talk someday even if I have to collect _thousands of sandstars_!"

:::::::: :::::::

"I'm surprised you came out to fish with me," Hamano said as he twirled a worm onto his hook with a satisfied look on his face.

Next to him Kurama Norihito sat in the boat with a sullen expression, still wearing his expensive blue coat and the royal boots he took when they left the kingdom. Too bad, this still wasn't the attire he should've worn compared to the regular anglers' clothes, otherwise it suited him a lot. He simply didn't like the sea as much as everyone else around him, so most of his attires were made for land-duties.

"Like I had a choice," replied Norihito.

"Akane asked you if you wanted to come, and you've said yes," a third voice joined to their duo. But this time the owner of the voice had spoken from the sea next to them. It was a merman, slimmer than Misaki, but he compensated this with colourful frills and patterns that ran on his entire body. While these gaudy colours helped him in hiding when he was in danger, this time, in the middle of a blue ocean he stood out as a marten among chickens.

"Let me repeat, like I had a choice! It was not a request, it was an order, she just mastered it how to disguise them as itty-bitty requests," he complained. Hamano only smiled and nodded at the words coming from Norihito's words.

"Don't worry, we won't be here all day."

"Of course, we won't, the sun is already setting. We'll be sitting here all night just to wait for a stupid ship to come by? Give me a rest."

"A stupid ship, that has baddies on its deck," Hamano added. " You didn't have any plans for tonight anyway. Also Tsurumasa is here too, so think of it as the wonder trio's first real mission!"

"Wonder trio?" the merman looked at him, raising a brow and adjusting his oversized glasses at the same time.

"Yep! You, Kurama and I are the unstoppable secret angler task force! Isn't it cool?"

"A commander, a near-sighted merman and a stone-brained angler in a sailboat. Now that's what I call task force!" commented Kurama in a sardonic tone. "Why don't we attack the navy's fleet if we're at it?!"

"Because we don't want to attack them," Hayami said in disbelief. "It's a horrible idea. Something that shouldn't happen in the next hundred years."

"Too bad, it will," replied Kurama in a deadpan tone. "The Dukedom is on the move and only the higher ups have some idea about their plans. It's only a matter of time before they start an expansion and then we have to fight, because _god forbid_ Raimon from helping the archipelago."

"Then we will fight," Hamano answered without thinking. "With Akane and Tsurumasa on our side we're sure to sink their ships."

Hayami, probably because he grew tired of his partners arguing disappeared beneath the reflection of the night sky.

When he resurfaced again, the boat was only a floating tiny dot in the distance with a dark blue sail. However, in the opposite direction he saw another form emerging on the horizon, followed by two other.

He could barely make out the six masts on the main ship, but the merman already knew that these didn't belong to Angler's Reef nor the towns around the archipelago.

Up to this point he was rather calm compared to himself, but now he was mute with confusion and terror. The ships stood still in the sea, but there was a high possibility that their goal was the fishermen's village.

Hayami was scared, his frilly ears flattened against his head, but he fought of his first shock and swam forward.

They needed to know everything about the dukedom's ships.

::::::::: ::::::::

After sunset, there was one thing everyone agreed on the ship, and it was the harshness of that day. With the carpenters making the last finishing touches, the crew constantly running around them as they started to load the storages once again. The captain himself had his fair share in the work and gave his crew a helping hand where there was need for it, especially when they tried to exchange the spoiled food and ruined items in the ship's hold. As the leader of the crew he had to be available everywhere.

No wonder, when the captain ended up in his cabin after midnight he just wanted to collapse and sleep. He only changed his mind when he'd sent a tired glance towards the merman, who in the meantime decided to skip through his books in his eternal boredom leaving endless piles of books on the floor.

However the first thought that came into Rensuke's mind was not a scold for the mess.

"The letter," he reminded himself as he plopped down on his bed. He sat in silence for some time, before getting back on a different track, leaving the letter alone for now. "What do you think about revenge?"

If there was something he had to know, then it was this. His voice was stern, but tiredness seeped through it as he spoke.

"What do you mean?" the merman raised an eyebrow.

"About revenge, in general, the main motivation behind holding a grudge. Hurting others and yourself while maintaining these emotions. Things like that."

"I have the feeling there is something in the background, but, all right. My opinion on revenge is… that those who hurt others deserve to be hurt in exchange."

"Even if they acted on orders?"

"This won't change the fact that people died by their hands."

"Their hands were controlled," Namikawa corrected him, but seeing how they missed the point of their conversation, he decided to take a simpler, but more honest way. "Look, what I meant to say is, give up on you revenge."

Misaki's ears suddenly twitched up, his teeth showing as he took a deep breath then let it out with a sigh.

"Revenge is all I've left."

"It's sad that you think this way."

"Just being realistic here."

"No. Misaki, realism is when you know your limits and act according to them. You understand the problem, but don't try to solve it by rational thinking."

"My entire village got slaughtered and you tell me that thinking rationally is my only option?! Are you nuts? Do you know how much anger and hatred I have for humans?! Do you have any idea?" he asked, leaning closer.

"In fact, I do. Because believe it or not my village was destroyed alongside with my family and if it wasn't for a lucky mistake then I too, would've been caught in the middle of it. But you know what? I survived. WE, the crew of the Ornitier decided to live for the future, instead of the past and when the time is right, we'll get our share of the fight against the attackers."

He looked at Misaki with a cold expression, while the merman just sat there dumbfounded.

Rensuke wasn't angry as usually, instead his eyes shone with determination to get his point across. "Think about it like that. Will revenge give anything back to you? Will roaming the seas alone without any goal make you feel a strange fulfilment? What if you sink the ship, but you kill the wrong people and those who acted on orders are still free to do whatever they want?! That makes you the bad guy; after all you're not better than those who massacred hundreds of innocent on order."

"As I told you, I've got nothing to lose."

"No, Misaki, you'll lose everything eventually. Listen… I will help you in the reasonable ways, but I want you to listen to what I have to say now. Don't come with us if you have hatred in your heart. You're slowly poisoning yourself and that's what makes them stronger. The revenge will eat up your heart and that's when they win because they kill your heart, not your body."

"And suddenly there we are you giving me the lectures? Give me a break, Namikawa!"

"Yes. Because I'm a human and I know what other feel. Misaki, humans fear death and by threatening them with their lives they make the best puppets for rulers, but catch the one who controls them and they lose the will to fight. In this case it's impossible to catch the culprit, so we have to fight and prevent the same tragedy."

It seemed Namikawa finally finished what he wanted to share with the merman, because soon his expression gradually became softer.

"So I'm only lecturing you because I care about your idiotic face that much, Mr. I'm-going-to-be-your-firstmate. I appreciate the fact that you won't use us for your goal, but I still want you to fight for what is right. Not for what you've lost. Capishe?"

"I can't promise anything. But I want to punch you in the face for shamelessly eavesdropping on me," his face grew redder from the mix of anger and embarrassment.

"That's in the job description of the captain! But I'm glad, because I ended up hearing something you would've never ever told me. And hopefully, I opened your eyes."

"Don't you think that there was a good reason for that?" the merman muttered in anger. "Also, no promises from my side. Asking me to let go of my past comes with a high price, but I might reconsider your suggestion if you recommend me something that equals the pain I feel."

"Hmm. Something that balances the pain must be happiness," he thought loudly. "Food is not enough, I doubt treasures would weigh that much… At the same time, are you happy when you're with us?"

Misaki blinked. "Kind of. When your lapdog buddy won't try to kick me off the deck."

"Then consider this my offer, a lifelong place among the pirates of the Ornitier without Wanda's constant nagging."

"Let's see if you can live up to that offer by reading that letter." the merman teased him.

Did he really had to? Namikawa was unsure about it ever since the letter resurfaced from his bed. Truth to be told, it wasn't even addressed to him. Originally the message was intended to the ruler of Tengawara, a small kingdom where the captain Masatsugu often stopped on his way home.

Probably the letter was his last words to the queen. A forgotten farewell. And for once, just like he had recommended Misaki few minutes ago, he didn't want to dwell on the past that was lost forever in the midst of that attack.

While the merman gained strength from keeping his past in front of him, Rensuke's source of willpower had always been the fact that he refused to look back. He acknowledged the change in his life, but never let his thoughts linger on it too much causing himself many sleepless nights.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked the merman who urged him to read the letter.

"Yep. I'm curious. I always wondered why do you keep sending these things to each other in bottles!"

Rensuke closed his eyes as he tore the envelope open, and pulled out the hastily folded letter.

_My beloved,_

_I'm sorry for leaving you without any words of farewell. Duty and my people called my away, however it seems by the time this letter reaches you, I'll be raising toast in hell with the infamous corsairs of the past. Yet, my heart holds no regret. I've done what had to be done to protect something important even if I failed in the end._

_However, I have one last request. Help that scoundrel Rensuke and the remaining Marine Snow pirates. That boy is as clumsy as a clownfish! He often rushed past his tasks just to get to his goal, always ended up with bruises by the end of the day and earned a well-deserved scolding from her mother. _

_But one day, this naughty scoundrel lost his father and this boy decided that instead of running away, he will face the life of pirates just like him. He joined my crew as a greenhorn private despite her mother's begging and soon, he failed every task I gave to him. Yet, he'd grown up and when I look at him, I can't help but feel proud._

_He is like a son to me, so please, take care of him in the time of need. _

_Also, Rensuke I think I told you many times no to open private letters._

"He knew," Rensuke muttered, turning the piece of paper. His hands were already shaking, but the fact that the captain knew him so well just hit him with the force of a storm.

_Take care of yourself and the others. Don't forget what you've learned at my side and benefit from that knowledge. Always be one step ahead of the others, see through the web of lies while keeping those who important close. I can't help you anymore, but I know you can endure the trials of being a pirate._

By the time he finished the letter Rensuke didn't know what to say or do. He felt sick and tired and sill had to share the tidbits of the message with Misaki, but now he had second thoughts about sharing the letter.

For a while he just sat there quietly, as though stupefied.

He came to his senses when a cold palm met his cheeks. "Hey, earth to Captain Namikawa, we have a problem. Do you want to talk about it?" the merman asked, deep concern hiding beneath his joking tone.

"I don't think that would help right now," Rensuke admitted, then grabbed Misaki's hand and let it down to his side, still holding it as it was his lifeline. "I … just didn't expect this kind of content from the old geezer."

"Shocking?"

"More or less, yes," he said with a broken voice. "But mostly it's just… complicated I guess."

"I see," he hummed half-heartedly, but Misaki's attention was caught on Rensuke's eyes that gradually became redder as he spoke. It was unusual for the merman to see his captain writhing in sadness, let alone fighting with grief and tears.

"This was like getting a letter from the other side," he sighed, shoulder slumping down. Who would've thought that an insignificant letter like this will hold so many painful words?

"You should sleep then. That would help you think over the situation," Yoshimine recommended. Due resting his chin on the bed so his words came out a bit muffled. "Also I'm dead tired too."

"You do nothing all day," the captain snorted, but his voice was still tainted with tears he held back.

"Boredom is more tiring than running around all day. Believe me. Your pictures are fun to look at though."

"Oh yes? Then tomorrow you're _so_ going to work," he kicked the merman's boat.

"Cleaning the deck again, I bet," he grunted.

"Better. I don't know what, yet, but surely it will be something better. Like barnacle termination."

"Hmm. Can't wait! Life's been dull without your impossible ideas, captain."

**A/N: And then there is this chapter, trying to focus on so many storylines at once. Too bad I'm nowhere near Ryohgo Narita's skills when it comes to that. At least, the next chapter won't have those, just one clunk of action and plot packed battle!**

**And knowing myself it'll be released in August! The 1st anniversary of this story! Still unbelievable that I managed to write so much without ever thinking about giving up and playing the second Inazuma game just brings back my love for Kaiou. **

_**To Pat Fifty Storms: I**_** think its theatrical style is the main reason why I liked it so much. It's not archaic, just reeeeaallly official-sounding what makes Dumas's dialogues entertaining. Unlike Sienkiewicz's who reaches the Shakespearean levels of empty talks.**


	20. Chapter 20

**[20] ****Opposition Resignation**

The next day Akane was sitting at her desk listening to Norihito and Hamano's report as she sipped her morning tea. It looked like everything was fine until her constantly calm expression was replaced by distress as the boys went on with their finding, describing the ships Hayami'd spotted under the veil of night. One six-masted schooner, followed by two smaller corvettes. While the schooner itself was classified as cargo ship, it was commonly used to transport weapons and men between the islands. Since operating the vessel only took handful of men it gave more place for skilled soldiers.

"I sense something amiss," she told them once they got to the end of their report.

"The corvettes," Hamano replied almost instantly before he got lost in his thoughts.

Kurama grunted. "Just three small ships, two of them aren't even classified as dangerous! We can take out that much single-handedly."

Hamano only shook his head in response, he pondered for a moment fingers pressed to his temple, before walking to the map that was hanged on the wall. "It just doesn't add up. Out of the ships we've came to know, corvettes are hardly paired up with cargo ships. Corvettes or in their other names, sloops of wars are just support units for the big fish."

Norihito tried to register as much information as he could but after few failed attempts he helplessly stared at the boy who just kept going on and on about marine military. The feeling was humiliating, because the Hamano never really had any military training, unlike him, yet when it came to ships the fisherman could tell anything about them at first glance.

"If they were just scouting the area, then why the warships?" Akane's eyes suddenly widened in realisation as if she'd solved the mystery. "Because this is not their main fleet!"

Given all their information even the navy wouldn't be so foolish to bring their agile patrol ships to scouting missions accompanied by a cargo ship what only slowed them down. However if the cargoship only accompanied them to provide provisions then the smaller ships could stray away in wider range before returning to the main fleet.

"From your expression, I doubt this is good news."

"Indeed, it would be best if we started preparing our fleet for the upcoming invasion," the Sea Rose told them as she set her cup on the table and walked over to Hamano. "Kabutenji had sent me a letter regarding the dukedom's expansion to the south, but their movements hold zero logic. Why Angler's Reef?"

"Feel free to prove me wrong, but I think this has to do something with our pirate friends. The dukedom's navy is hunting for pirates and right now we have a whole ship of them in the harbour," Norihito replied.

"Yea, but why would they send a whole fleet?" Hamano cut in. "To take out seventeen pirates a smaller warship is enough. All they have to do is to board them and the ship is as good as theirs. No, this is something shadier, like ten times shadier!"

Akane let out a sigh. Her observations only brought more problems. However Captain Kabutenji's letter proved to be a godsend for her even if it only summarized what she already noticed on her own. Namely, the changes that happened in the marine trading business.

If she could believe the words of the _Mannouzaka Trading Company_'s cambist, Kanezane, then someone started giving out depreciated coins by lowering the silver-content.

At first, she thought it was just a trick to fill the royal treasury somewhere, but the navy's suspicious movements and the way the Moonlight Dukedom acted about this whole affair made her suspicious that they might be the culprits.

The silver in the area was different from the currency used in Raimon and it was more durable in harsh weather conditions. Still, pure marine silver was not recommended to be used in weapons, unless there was a serious shortage in metal and that could only happen is they've already used up all of their metal.

Suddenly everything made sense, like dots connecting in a puzzle game.

"If this is an expansion," she said out loud almost shouting the words. "Angler's Reef makes a good strategical base so they're using the pirates as an excuse. If they catch us hiding them, then they can set up a station here saying that we're helping illegal activities!"

"Now that's Akane for you!" Hamano said proudly.

"In this case," Norihito muttered, "The best strategy is to be prepared before they arrive, call help from the local islands and to defeat them in their own game."

"Don't forget our underwater unit!" Hamano added.

Under normal circumstances Akane would never consider asking the merfolk for help, but this time if Angler's reef indeed fell to their attackers then the entire archipelago would follow them. Not only were the numbers against them, but the dukedom's fleet had the strongest ships after Raimon and Tengawara.

"First, I'd like to talk with Captain Namikawa about the upcoming battle. I do not wish to endanger them as they've only survived one catastrophe."

"They're pirates," huffed Norihito. "This should be their normal routine in life. Repair the ship, fight for treasures, repair the ship."

"Commander, we have different views and experiences regarding pirates and this time, I want you to believe me when I say, I don't want them to fight for something they don't have to. The fighting style of our town is not fit for pirates who are used to frontal assaults."

"I surely agree," said Hamano before looking at Akane. "Rensuke is cool and all, and I really have no problem with them helping but we've got to take different ways in this fight. Each to their own."

"Indeed, so we shall go and inform the Ornitier about our plans." She stopped for a moment, "Also, Commander Kurama, you should read books about pirating beside The Treasure Island."

:::::::::: :::::::::

"General, are you sure about attacking them in daytime?" a soldier wearing light armour asked the man standing in front of him. However Minamisawa Atsushi didn't seem to notice the concern in his voice. In his mind, he was already planning the assault on the last group of Marine Snow pirates. Furthermore, since they were travelling with a merman on board catching them would earn more prestige for him, probably even a better rank in the dukedom's navy.

Their fleet consisted of six smaller corvettes, a schooner and the Artemicion as their leading ship. Compared to Moonlight's power this fleet was just for show, but perfect for occupying smaller islands.

"The sooner we begin our operation is the better," he explained.

"Then, shall we prepare the fleet?" asked his other subordinate, Ichimonji Kirito. He was the second in command on the Artemicion and also Minamisawa's ears and right-hand.

"Yes. And we will use _them_ too! Hyoudou expects me to test our new unit, so we might as well give it a try after his failure," he smirked. "It's just a simple scouting practice."

When their leader first announced that they will be training monsters many of the sailors simply quit their jobs so they had to recruit new ones or drag back the old sailors by force. It was still a new field of animal taming, so no wonder people were reluctant about keeping the predators on their ship.

Now, the very animals were traveling with them waiting for the moment when they can enter the battle.

It was exciting; at the same time Minamisawa himself was curious about their strength.

::::::: :::::::

"Absolutely not," the room echoed with Akane's firm voice. "None of you will fight the crew of the Artemicion! That's my final word."

"Coming from the person who refused to meet and share her information with us this statement sounds off," replied Rensuke with a proud smile.

"Fool, if we had told you everything, then we would risk the wellbeing of the entire island," Norihito stepped between the two. The meeting started with a calm, yet tense atmosphere but after the two participants started talking about the possible strategies Rensuke and Akane couldn't come to a common agreement and the drizzle soon turned into a storm with none of them willing to give in.

"Classified informations are only allowed to be known by the Pirate Leaders. If someone got the hint of merfolk living here then poachers would _flood_ the island. Right now, we are only in danger if they decide to be serious about their expansion," Akane explained, her grip on her quill tightened.

"Great to know, that the leader of this island puts everything at stake for that."

"Is using my head so bad?" she asked in a calm voice yet the malice was visible in her words. "Based on our knowledge, the navy sent ships that are capable of long pursuits, not invasions. It's a hunt."

The meeting started before noon, right after Rensuke finally dragged himself out of bed and Akane decided that the young captain should pay a visit to her mansion. However problems appeared when the Sea Rose started describing her strategy for the upcoming battle as it didn't meet the captain's expectations.

No matter what, he wanted to fight in the front row, yet Akane kept talking about how crazy that idea is in reality.

They just couldn't agree.

"Let me break this down to your peanut sized brain," Norihito told the captain once he got fed up by trotting in one place. "You, yes you and your scurvy mackerels need to go to the other side of the island. For strategic reasons. Because that's good for you and even better for Us! You don't want to get caught in the middle of a naval battle when you're the prey. Do you understand me?"

"Indeed, if everything goes well we will win this fight. I already sent out the notifications for the neighbouring towns. They're going to send in some help. Until then, I'll do everything in my power to stop them so please, just follow our plans," Akane's endless politeness started to make Rensuke uncertain once again.

Once he started thinking about it, the crew was not ready for fight. Or at least, not after their last encounter.

"Alright, I'm all ears."

He agreed to go by her plans, but there was something telling him that after this, things will only get worse.

::::::::::: ::::::::::

"Her plan is anything but sane," Wanda told him as they were walking back on the old road. "How can she expect us to step back and run?"

"Aye, but there is some logic behind it."

"Yes ,yes _the _logic. But just because pirate ships are disappearing it doesn't leads us to the fact that it's the navy's doing. The navy we are fighting against! This is like when Fukami stated that I can't have any Queens after I played out my Aces. Was it absurd? Yes it was!" He looked at Rensuke with deep concern in his expression. "And you know it well that this kind of logical thinking frustrates me."

"Hmm, you don't have to remind me," the captain nodded, mind being flooded by serious and heavy thoughts. However as they walked past a foodstall his face brightened almost instantly. He woke up the sound of someone knocking on his door, and since the red herring in his room did nothing, mostly just rolled over his other side with a groan, he had to take up the task of greeting his visitors.

This meant that ever since he'd been forcefully woken up from his slumber he couldn't take a bite. As he took a quick look at the various roasted meats, he couldn't help but slow down until he completely stopped.

The captain only came to his senses when Wanda appeared next to him staring at him like a mother who was about to scold her kid.

"...Sorry," Rensuke smiled sheepishly. He felt guilt churning in his stomach, alongside hunger when he reminded himself the reason of their unpleasant stroll.

"It's alright. I feel your problem, though," he said, by the contents of the stall. Naoto had to admit, the shrimps looked especially tempting. "Fish, is it?"

"Salt-broiled sea bream," Rensuke announced with a grin. Naoto peered at the fish on the table but it didn't convince him, however the shrimps and the sardines rolled in grape leaves did leave some positive impressions on him.

"As for me, I will go with the local speciality."

As they were paying, Naoto tried to ignore Rensuke grimacing at the sight of leaves and making silent remarks how those ruin the taste. From the outside it easily gave off the feeling that he was living the life of a spoiled prince.

However once they left the stall, Naoto gave voice to his thoughts; "You say nothing when Tooru gives you this."

"Only because if I dared to refuse Tooru's culinary wonders then he would toss me over the railing within minutes. This doesn't change the fact that I hate green vegetables."

"However grape leaves are not vegetables."

"Still green. So it's not edible."

Wanda shot him a glance.

"If we ever get stuck on a deserted island, remind me to bring an entire flock so you don't starve to death upon seeing only plants," the firstmate smirked at him, before taking a bite from the sardine. "You better finish that fish before we get back to the others, though. If those piranhas sniff out that you've been spending our money on luxuries you won't hear the end of it."

"Only if they're able to sniff it out," the captain laughed. "I can always tell them that you were the one who didn't stop me."

His cheeky grin made Naoto want to argue even more until Rensuke gave up. But the captain seemed quite happy to be the one who finished their mini-debate so Naoto let him feel victorious just for once.

::::::::: :::::::::

No matter how much it hurt their pride to listen and accept orders from Akane, after they got back, the boys made the required preparations to hide the ship on the other side of the island. If the Sea Rose was right the fleet would attack from the front, leaving enough time for the Ornitier to sneak away from the island and by the time they notice that the pirates are missing their advantage will be too big for the Artemicion to catch up.

He had to admit, it was a simple yet elegantly cunning plan, just like the Sea Rose.

"So, are we not going to fight?" asked Yoshimine, his boat was once again in its old place next to the railing on the deck. Yet the merman was extremely bored as he couldn't pester Namikawa anymore. Soon he went back to his old routine and tried to talk with the rest of the crew whenever someone passed by. His prayers have found their audience as Tairamaru constantly stopped for small talks whenever he could.

"Not really," the boy shook his head. "But we might be able to see the beginning from here."

"Let me get this straight. We are not allowed to fight because that would be dangerous, but we are not allowed to flee because…?!"

"Oh, this is not the case. We have our part in the battle, but it's a bit more complicated, I guess. It's like lure coursing, where dogs on a racetrack start to chase after a rabbit. We're the lure and the navy's ships are the dogs. When the Sea Rose gives us the signal, we show ourselves."

"And by that time the navy will be so rundown they can't catch us even if they wanted to?"

"That's the idea. On top of that, they'll leave Angler's Reef alone," the white haired boy added. Tairamaru had to admit for a merman, Yoshimine had quick understanding of how things worked in battle, even if he often voiced it with different words. This may or may not have been the captain's influence but still, he liked testing Misaki's knowledge. "For now."

"Not permanently?"

"Nay, they still want the island for themselves, we are just going to lure them away. A pirate you can catch today is better than an island you can conquer anytime. Or so that's the navy's logic."

Before Misaki could've replied an explosion shook the air, moments later a counter blast thundering at the other side of the island.

After hours of waiting, the battle between Angler's Reef and the dukedom's fleet finally began. But one thing was missing. There should've been a signal, right after the ships got too close to the island, but there was nothing. Almost as if the Sea Rose had forgotten about their plans.

"Something isn't right here," said Rensuke throwing a worried glance towards the direction where Angler's Reef was. The sounds were undistinguishable. Cannons shooting at each other, muffled war cries echoing through the air, however the sound that was supposed to signal their departure was nowhere to be heard.

"Aye, I don't think they've forgotten about it. Something must've happened."

It felt somehow like they were waiting for a stage play to begin. But this time, the heavy curtains stayed close, while the orchestra started playing their passionate marching song.

"Then there is no other way," Wanda walked to the boat what was toed up to the ship's side. "I'll go and check it out."

"Are you nuts?"

"With a crew like this? I'm happy that I still have some common sense left," he snorted. Wanda didn't even have to speak; the bosun quietly started helping him untying the ropes.

"You too?" Rensuke stared at him with disbelief.

"The more we wait the more the navy will close in on the island. So I'm with Wanda in this one."

"Look, the ship is spot on, ready to depart any time so even if I don't come back set sail and don't look back. We'll meet at the hideout once everything is clear, okay?"

Rensuke could only nod. The first thing that came into his mind was the worst possible scenario, but if he stopped his firstmate then his action could endanger the rest of the crew. For trained pirates it would've been the easiest thing to do, but Rensuke was hesitant about letting a friend go.

His expression still showed the vague displeasure that has been eating him. Overconcern and the feeling of failure emerged at the same time.

"Just make sure you get out of there in one piece," he patted him on the back as a sign of farewell before Wanda and the bosun started their short journey to the shore and once they arrived, and Wanda gave them a last wave the boy left the boat and quickly disappeared on the road that led back to Angler's Reef.

The plan was so simple and clear yet even now, they were struggling with it, waiting for the uncertain shot from the distance.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Nagisa stated holding a gun out for Rensuke. It was one of the best in their possession. Flint properly maintained to keep its accuracy; handle being polished so no scratches could grew into cracks when they used it.

"You better not attract misfortune with your negative waves, do you hear me, Nagisa?!"

The boy only smiled, "The last time was years ago, like, wait, we were six."

"Yet the memories haunt me to this day!"

The story was short, yet none of them liked sharing it with others because they got their ears pulled after said adventure. never mentioning the fact how they got grounded for a week.

It all happened when the boys managed to devour an entire papaya cake baked my Naoto's mother. After realizing their mistake they quickly started baking a new batch, without the actual recipe, so it more or the less became a complete disaster.

The tiny kitchen soon looked like a post-apocalyptic wilderness swimming in fruit pieces.

Rensuke still remembered how he'd reassured Nagisa that everything is going to be fine, while the boy just kept parroting the same phase over and over again, warning the boys that Naoto's mother will get them for that.

In the end, she did and had the boys asses handed to them.

But her anger mostly clouded over Naoto, who had to spend the night on the balcony. Or he should've spend there, if he wasn't invited to a sleepover what earned him a week full of housework.

Sometimes Rensuke wished they could go back to those times and make them last a bit longer. Nevertheless, at least the same guys were with him ever since they befriended as kids.

His pleasant thoughts soon ended when he heard Nagisa murmur as he tried to pull up the bosun with the help of Tairamaru. The battle was still raging on the other side of the forest, yet the boy's eyes were not looking at that but rather at the water below the boat.

"Captain, do you remember what happened back then when we were attacked by the Dauntless?" the gunner asked carefully.

"Yeah, why?"

"B-Because I think the same thing is about to happen, again," Nagisa raised his gun and shot the water next to the Ornitier's side. If it was just dirt or kelp, then the water would shook under the impact leaving nothing but the same dark mud beneath the surface. However the water turned red, indicating that he shot a living being.

Moments felt like hours before the first spiky fin appeared above the surface and after that the captain's orders were quicker than lightning.

"Get your weapons and be ready for whatever comes out of that hellish sea!"

The others exchanged confused glances. They haven't seen the enemy below the ship but they believed their captain.

Rensuke's orders were the law of the ship.

"Sardine, you too! Grab a sword or a knife at least."

"Ha-ha, just give me a moment to grow legs and I'll get some from the storage. Four even! Aren't you a little bit worked up about these fish fellows?" Misaki echoed, trying to take the situation lightly despite experiencing the horror of those monsters not so long ago.

"Yoshimine, you're inches away from being thrown there as a bait," he warned the boy before throwing him his own knife. "If you dare to lose it, I'll serve you with orange slices."

"Aye, aye, with you being so jumpy, I doubt I'll have to use it," the merman gave him a cheeky grin, but it soon disappeared when he noticed no one was laughing with him.

Once again, the game of waiting went on, people on both sides awaiting for the upcoming attack. Rensuke was about to give up and go back to his original position when out of the corner of his eye he saw the head of a fish coming to the surface.

"Aim for their head," Rensuke said quickly, but before he finished the sentence a bullet had already went through the monster leaving thick dark blood oozing out of the wound. The deadly weapon was in Azu's hand, who looked like he was about to cry before the flintlock went off again and he shot another fish monster.

"He with you?" he shot a glance towards Nagisa, who only nodded in disbelief. "Tell him to be more patient next time."

"Captain, he has no problem with comprehension."

"Good. Then calm down, don't be alarmed and listen carefully," he ordered the boy around like he was one of them.

Everyone had to admit, it was actually fortunate that Azu's aiming was so good because it only made the other's life easier. Someone was either a natural on the Ornitier or a fledgling trying to get the hang of things. "If they don't attack us, then we will leave them alone. No one wants to play Russian roulette with lady luck, am I right?"

Everything seemed to calm down. After the two they'd shot none of them tried to put its hands on the side of the ship again and soon they seemed to completely disappear into the abyss.

It was a wonder that no one had tried to come after them yet or heard the gunshots. Though, even if they did, they probably thought it was just an idiot who lost his way in the forest.

"You have to go!" a voice could be heard in the distance. Someone was swimming towards them, his colourful fins following him in an almost mesmerizing swirling motion. The illusion broke, when their gazes wandered towards the merfolk's upper body. Hayami was flailing in the water trying to get their attention but his movements completely ruined his stage entrance.

"What about my firstmate?" he asked almost immediately.

"Fighting," came the short reply.

It wasn't a clear answer, but the merman didn't care about the details and went on. "He is fine, but he won't be, if you don't set sail right now. We need you to lure them away as soon as possible before they start firing again. The man who was supposed to give you the signal got attacked. We're losing time!"

Rensuke's gaze raced to and fro between Hayami and the island as he tried to find the best solution for their situation. Realizing that each door closed before him the moment he tried to open them, and that meddling would be pointless against an entire fleet he came to the only logical conclusion.

With a frown he pulled his coat forward as a sign of collecting his inner strength.

"Get ready for departure!" he shouted.

It was originally Wanda's job but he had to step in for now. "Loosen the sails!"

He knew that he did the right thing, yet he couldn't help but slowly sigh when the ship started moving.

"We have to make them see us!" he shouted. Fukami, the member who was responsible for the ship's wheel just gave him a silent nod. His muscles tensed when he started pulling the wheel to turn the ship into direction, but once it was done the ship sped up from the wind what silently pushed her out to the battlefield.

Only then they saw the state of the battle. Many of the attacking ships were sinking or their sails were on fire, but the tallest warship stood there unmoving as if the island's fleet was just a flea for her. However when the Ornitier reached a point where no rocks or trees were hiding it, the Artemicion sluggishly started to move.

"Captain, where should we go now?" Fukami asked.

"Into a pursuit," he explained. "Their ship should be damaged enough to get slower each day but by the time they realize this, our advantage will be too great for them. The Artemicion is a strong ship, but big and slow due to that."

"Oho, I see it now!"

The only one who wasn't impressed by their cunning plan was their merman. Misaki just sat there trying to comprehend what were the benefits of their situation. The whole situation was a juggernaut action and they could only hope that Angler's Reef was indeed saved after their action.

Altogether uneasiness tortured him. There was something in the air that urged the boy to keep his eyes open.

He couldn't help but think that they've been used by the Sea Rose and this thought slowly poisoned his mind as he watched the Artemicion turning towards them.

**A/N: First of all, I hereby apologize for the length of this chapter. I tried to slice it up, divide it into smaller pieces but then the information would've gotten too mixed up. Regarding chaos, this chapter'd already reached the same level of a naval battle. I have to admit I'm better at writing close combat.**

**But yes, this is what I would call the closing chapter for this arc since the following chapter will take the story into a bit different direction especially now that Wanda has his own road to travel.**

**My deep thanks for all of you who managed to read through 120 pages of this nonsense pirateAU! I think there will be no thanks in the following chapters as the boys will suffer a lot from past scars and the present they were able to witness…**


	21. Chapter 21

**[21] The Dead Sleep Eternally**

They've been traveling for more than a week, or so the bosun said. Misaki lost counting after the third or fourth day and soon he just let out a bored gasp whenever the sun set under the horizon.

His wounds have already healed, but he couldn't go to the sea as fishing him up would be almost impossible with their current speed. Or so they said. He suspected it was only an excuse so they could focus on their jobs without worrying for the merman.

In order to keep himself occupied Misaki helped out with cooking and played card games under the veil of night when Rensuke couldn't catch the crew members breaking his rules. He was undoubtedly part of the gang now.

If he only knew pursuits were so boring… And lengthy.

At first he was constantly asking the crew when he is going to fight, until his dream bubble was popped by reality. Pursuits rarely had two ships interacting but if they did, that was the end of the road for one of them.

Though, for the merman it seemed like, the more this whole cat-mouse play went on, the more sullen and tired the atmosphere got on the ship. They hardly ever talked; most of them minded their own business probably wondering when they can go back to their regular sailing routes.

However there was one thing that bothered him more than the pregnant silence.

It started out as a familiar feeling, then slowly but surely it grew into a bothering form of recognition. At first he tried to shake it off, but it deemed to be persistent as cockroach.

"Let's not go that way," he told Rensuke when the captain was making rounds, checking their equipments. Misaki's voice made the captain stop and raise his eyebrows at the sudden statement.

"And why should we do that?" Misaki did not fail to catch the mocking tone hiding behind his words.

"Not your business."

"You got that wrong. It's my goddamned business."

The merman did not answer immediately.

"Fine. Then my reason for telling you this is that these parts of the sea are dangerous. Not only because it crosses the whale's swimming route, but also it's filled with underwater cliffs. Oh, and shallow sandbeds."

"Misaki, you lie so much, I can't even tell which was supposed to be the first one in your sentence," Rensuke shook his head. He was not used to the merman getting entangled in his own fibs. "You used to be better at this."

"Aren't you a bit self-righteous about my believability?"

"I wouldn't be if you didn't try building your entire reputation around a lie in the first place. You were the one who ruined your credibility."

"Still being butthurt about that?" He did not look at the captain as he spoke.

"I am **not**. But I won't change our course because the mighty seaman said so. Tell me a better excuse and then, only then I will rethink your idea."

Yoshimine looked at him, thinking about something before he said, "Personal, human related reasons. Is this enough?"

As if he understood the root of the problem, Rensuke resolved not to press the matter.

"Fair. I'll see what I can do, but don't start squawking if things don't go your way."

Misaki's fins seemed to twitch a little, but it was hard to determine what kind of emotion brought this out of him.

"Are you angry now?"

"Yes, I am," he pouted like a kid. Only then it became clear to Rensuke that he'd been played with and that he was standing on the losing side. The merman was crafty or at least clever enough to make him feel victorious, only to give him a checkmate right before the end of their fight.

"Captain, if I may recommend you," he heard a voice coming towards the wheel as he decided to return to the heart of the ship.

"What?" he barked at Fukami.

"We can take the tiniest detour to stop Misaki turning into a grumpy old hag."

"Would that slow us down?" he questioningly raised an eyebrow, quickly glancing at the merman who was minding his own business. He wore a strangely pleased expression on his lips.

"Not the slightest."

"Then do it. Having a screeching banshee just pisses me off anyway."

Fukami let out a hoarse chuckle as he turned the wheel. "Or more like, you don't want your banshee to be stressed out on this journey," he noted. He didn't even notice the strange mind-war raging between the captain and his merman.

"I told you, that's not it!"

"Aye, aye, of course," Namikawa could almost see the sly grin appearing behind Fukami's mask. "But you know, you've really came to like the fella."

"You think?"

"Nope, I know. "

"We still fight awfully lot, though," he admitted.

"Are you sure? To me, those fights are more like banters between friends. Nothing less, nothing more. Maybe the next time you should observe the way you two speak to each other. " after seeing Rensuke's rather lost expression wandering to and fro between him and the merman, he couldn't stop himself from teasing him even more. "Sometimes you two act like an old married couple."

"And old- what?

The sailor could only laugh at the ridiculous face his captain just made once the message reached his brain.

"Whatever," he growled, mood seemingly taking a 180 degrees turn. "Just make sure that we reach the island soon."

He couldn't see the nod Fukami gave him, but honestly he didn't even bother thinking it further for too long.

Did he really change? Or was it their imagination? He certainly didn't do anything differently, or so he thought, but a small change must've taken place if the crew noticed it. Nevertheless, he still wanted his goddamned nap.

:::::::::: ::::::::

However when he woke up, he was greeted by darkness. Not the type of darkness that was familiar to him, but the kind where not even the faintest light could get through. Something was awfully off with it. The fresh sea breeze became cold and still, as if time itself had stopped.

The ship shook beneath his feet, certainly not from the waves strong waves that accompanied almost every storm. Before the phenomenon even had the chance to repeat the process Rensuke, dashed out of his cabin his face showing a mixture of confusion and fear. Thankfully, he managed to shake off the remaining sleepiness, while hastily trying to put on his coat so by the time he reached the others the captain was ready for action. Almost everyone was on the deck, trying to decipher the source of the strange occurrence.

The sky was covered in black clouds, promising storm, however there was no wind that usually accompanied such weather.

"What the hell is going on?" he shouted at his sailors, but they only gave him a frightened look. It seemed like the sudden change in the weather hit them by surprise.

"An attack," Misaki added quickly. "A sea dragon's."

"Don't be ridiculous. Dragons don't exist!"

"Just like how fishmonsters don't exist either," he noted, with a smirk. The merman was visibly annoyed by the crew's disbelieving attitude, his tail swished in the tiny boat, splashing water around it.

"Alright, let's say this is a dragon," Rensuke walked closer to the boat, stopping midway. "What's the best way to get rid of it?"

"Do I look like a swimming encyclopaedia to you? I've got no idea. Dragons and other sea creatures live in the deepest parts of the sea. I've heard about villages and towns being in the deep-sea, but we never had to deal with them."

"Great, our encyclopaedia is out, then what?"

The ship shook again, this time the impact came with more force.

"We have to fight, obviously," Nagisa finished the sentence for Misaki. The young gunner already had a weapon in his hand, but before Rensuke could've followed his example the dragon left the water, spreading its fins like insect's wings, wildly whirling the air around itself as it rose above the crew.

The dragon's eyes were surprisingly small for its head, but the spikes emerging from various parts of the body left fear in their heart. Captivated by the sight unfolding before their eyes they barely missed the moment dragon roared and lunged towards the ship.

A split second's judgment told Rensuke that he wouldn't be able to dodge. He immediately raised his arms, falling back when the dragon's tail met his skin pushing him towards the middle of the ship.

"I'm always welcoming new ideas about how to escape," he shouted towards the others. His spine hurt like hell after meeting the hard floor. Nagisa's answer was a shot aimed toward the heart of the dragon.

It was surprised by the counterattack, but it seemed the bullet disappeared in its soft body without a trace. It was certainly designed to withstand bigger hits than few iron balls.

"What!? I aimed at its heart!"

"You forgot that this dragon is just a big fish. Its heart is really tiny compared to humans and other animals," Tooru tried to understand the situation, jumping away from another attack. The dragon kept trying to catch the crewmembers, lowering its head like a bird whenever it came near the ship.

"Everybody, get moving!"

Soon, the dragon started to target Misaki. Probably seeing an easy target in the merman and whatever bad luck had the boy facing against a foe like that; it probably had something to do with this whole mess around the archipelago. Or at least, that was his only thought, when he got knocked out of his own private boat. He could hear the other's shouting his name, but by the time he came to his senses the monster was attacking him, again barely hitting him with its jaw.

"I'm fine!" he told them, clutching his side as he tried to move away.

"No you're not." Tairamaru ran to him, trying to shield the merman from the upcoming attack, aiming for the head instead of its heart. He readied his blunderbuss, aiming carefully and when the dragon started its ongoing rampage he shot it, hitting the monster's shoulder.

Not so far away from them Namikawa and his bosun tried to find a way to escape from the still area. They wanted to break out from the clouds to get farther away from the dragon, but without wind or currents they couldn't go anywhere.

"So we can't get out by sailing. And we can't just pull away the ship either. So this leaves us with zero options. Mostly," he admitted.

"Unless we use a trick," Kaizu told them when he ran past, throwing a sack filled with gunpowder towards Nagisa and Azu. The small boy seemed to figure out what they had to do if they wanted to survive this encounter. "The wings generate enough wind for a ship to sail, we just need to find a way… A way to take advantage of it."

"Kaizu, I hope you're not implying that we should put ropes around the neck of a freaking dragon," the bosun stared at the boy with disbelief.

"It's enough if we can keep it in the back of the ship. But I like your idea! Daring!" he chuckled. "If the first fragment of the plan works, we will use the smoke capsules and let the wind carry us. Once we're out of its range, we're good to go. Hopefully."

"Hopefully," Rensuke repeated his last sentence. "Hopefully?"

"Hey, it's still better than jumping away from its way."

At first the plan seemed to work. The crewmembers began to lure the dragon to the far edge of the ship, often shooting or throwing something at it. Cannons were too slow for these kind of fights. But still, the dragon fell for their trap and the ship started moving from the winds its fins generated.

"It's working!" Kaizu cried out almost jumping from happiness, but his happiness ended up dying too early as the dragon, once sensing that something was off with its preys, quickly dove under water.

The ship shook beneath them once again, making them lose balance. Namikawa glanced sideways searching for the dragon but without sunrays he was unable to find it. He unsteadily walked towards the railing only to be greeted by a sudden blast of wind as the scenery suddenly started to change.

Next to him his crewmembers stood gaping, trying to comprehend what they've just witnessed.

The Ornitier was stuck in the eye of a storm. A really unnatural phenomenon considering how the ships usually either avoided storms completely or tried to stay at its edge without ever reaching the middle. Mostly, because it was risky. Also an impossible task, where only the luckiest and maddest sailors could reach the eye.

_Then how? How in the world did we ended up in the middle of a storm without noticing it?_

Rensuke asked himself several times, before the ship sped up, blasting into the nearest wall of water.

"It's pushing us into the storm!" he heard Tooru shouting before his ears were deafened by a thunder.

Soon after that, everything plummeted into chaos. The rain, wind and the thunders separated him from the others. With his fuzzy eyesight Rensuke saw the sailors fighting for their dear life, while trying to keep the ship together.

For a moment, he saw something dart across his peripheral vision. Far away he saw a funny looking shadow dashing through the waves, but it kept its distance from the ship as if it was waiting for something.

Having the presence of another something noted, he decided to put his priorities in order. Keeping the Ornitier in one piece was more important than being scared from the unknown.

Everyone fought against their current circumstances, keeping their balance as the dragon pushed the ship through high waves. It seemed they all found their safe spot to keep themselves in place when the water clashed with the ship.

The only person who bothered him was the merman. Maybe Rensuke's voice reached Misaki, maybe it didn't because he didn't show any signs of life. Tairamaru was supposed to be with him, but the boy was clinging to his dear life when the ship faced the oncoming wave with its side.

Rensuke could feel his blood going cold in his veins as his heart skipped a beat from panic. He must've hit his head, Rensuke thought. However, this didn't chase away the horrible feeling that clutched his whole body and mad his throat bone-dry.

_You've got to be kidding me…_

Why always the merman had to be the most problematic of the bunch? Whatever happened Misaki was always the first one to get in trouble, get attacked or simply just becoming target because he was so sluggish. He tried to struggle to the side of the ship, the next impact made him lose balance. His right shoulder hurt like hell, but he continued to crawl towards Misaki.

He wanted to make sure that the merman was alive.

As he tried to drive the discomfort out of his brain, he heard a sound of something cracking above him, before his head met the wet floor with a _thud_.

:::::::: ::::::::

When Misaki came to his senses the storm was still raging around the ship. Instinctively, he tried to push himself up, but exhaustion prevented him, forcing him so stay at the edge of the ship.

The rain made his vision blurry with tiny lights dancing in front of him. As if identifying things in the darkness wasn't hard enough. However he was sure about one thing, something was missing.

He couldn't hear shouting or any type of voice, he was completely alone on the Ornitier.

Then a voice rang in his ears, it was familiar yet softer than what he was used to.

"I can't. I just can't accept it."

"Hell you can't," a thundering voice echoed on the deck. "Do you think I would tell you this if you were unfit for the position? Don't be an ignorant deckswabber now, Rensuke."

His vision somewhat cleared, but he had problems with believing the image in front of him. The person was sitting, resting his back against the mainmast of the Ornitier, while Rensuke only sat there, voice shaking from panic. He was missing his trademark, raggy coat and one would almost think that he was just a low-rank sailor.

"What are you giving me that look for?" the man asked. "Do you want me to tell your father his son was a wimp?"

"Captain, even if you use blackmailing against me," Rensuke tried to keep his confidence and the overly respectful tone. "There are honours I can't accept."

"Honours, ranks, titles… Who cares? Apparently some people do," he laughed, before letting out a tired sigh, "But we, pirates are not like those people. On this very ship, my words are the law or do you doubt my eyes?"

"And it will stay like this-" Rensuke started to object automatically.

"For who knows how many bloody minutes?" the captain shot back pointing at his torso. Rensuke tensed up for a moment. "The ship is yours. Do what you want with it."

It took Misaki heavy moments to realize that the scene was something he couldn't have experienced personally despite everything looking so realistic. Rensuke was much more younger and the captain in front of him was a person rumoured to be long dead. The only option remaining, that he must've hit his head while trying to stay alive in the storm. Meaning that his body was out cold. Or so he hoped.

"However it might seem that your little freeloader might be wrecking this ship sooner than I thought," with this he threw a glance towards Yoshimine. The scenery with Rensuke slowly came to a halt with despair finding its eternal place within the boy's expression. Misaki looked around curiosity slowly replacing his confusion.

"I'm talking to you, merman," the captain's voice came from behind him. Strict, but hiding a strangely fatherly tone. Misaki couldn't help but flinch as he hesitantly turned his head to the captain's direction. "Harbinger of misfortune."

Misaki was about to protest, before he quickly changed his mind and remained silent.

"I've been wanting to talk to you for a while now, but never had the chance," his voice echoed, but his face was calm, not even a single frown ruined his mask. "First of all, you dare to come to this ship, demanding a rank, only granted for suitable sailors, then you are about to cheat and lie to these lousy maggots?! Brilliant, merman. Simply, brilliant!"

The captain laughed. While Misaki sat there dumbfounded as he couldn't believe the sight.

"Nevertheless, you seem to have the most brain in this chicken house."

"That's good to hear, captain Masatsugu."

"Feel free to drop the captain title. I have no authority over anything," he waved, still keeping the reserved atmosphere around his presence. "I want to ask you a favour."

"It is a honou-" before Misaki you finish his sentence, a warning look flickered through the captain's face. "Nevermind. What's the deal?"

"Good. I hate bootlickers." the captain nodded "What I want from you is to make sure the Ornitier and the navy ships never have the chance to meet."

"Why?"

"That's classified information."

"If the ghost of a dead captain asks for my help then it must be important, so I'm all ears!" he growled, irritation slowly rising as they exchanged more words.

"Do you know the saying, how dead men tell no tales?" the merman only shook his head. "It's a rule, dead can't spill secrets, also a reminder for us that we're no longer part of the world of the living and have no reason to meddle with them. I can't tell you the reasons nor grasp the importance of details anymore as my human side is slowly fading away."

"So, only guidances?"

"That is correct. I can suggest people a possible way, but can't hold their hand in the entire time. I didn't intend to stay on this ship, but as you can guess," he nodded towards Rensuke's image. "That kid over there keeps missing the point of me being dead."

"He talks awfully lot about you, sir."

"That's the problem, you see. And the reason why I want you to be his conscience before that idiot breaks his neck." he stopped for a moment as if listening to something. "Even now, he is sleeping through this whole storm. That lazy beggar."

"You should just warn him yourself, it would be more efficient than asking me, a noname merman."

The look he got for that comment held everything. From the most obvious counter-question to sheer disappointment. They both knew that Rensuke was a stubborn mule and probably gave no attention to dead captains popping up in his dreams.

Masatsugu opened his mouth, as if he was thinking about whether he should reveal more or not. Yet, he took on a stern expression. "Do as you see fit. This marks my end of the road, anyway. There is a limit on how much time I'm willing to spend watching over that dimwit leading a ship to its doom."

"My sympathies."

"I don't need it. Fare thee well, merboy. You're not obliged to do anything, but you would stop a dead pirate turning in his grave."

Before Misaki could say anything the captain was gone, leaving him with the unnerving still image.

He was no obliged to do anything, yes, indeed.

This whole experience seemed to go over his head. Suddenly everyone wanted his assistance. And needless to say he was starting to get sick of this whole pirate-play. As much as he liked goofing around on the Ornitier or testing out Rensuke's patience the amount of responsibilities what came with the graceful mascot job was not worth it.

First the pirates urge him to not cause any trouble, and then he has dead pirates haunting him in the middle of a storm as if he was Rensuke's best friend. Oh yes, and there was the stuck-up captain too, reason for all of his misery yet a person who deserved his respect in some strange way.

However, it felt like they'd been travelling toward two different directions despite living on the same ship. And no matter how much he wished to cross paths, they would undoubtedly avoid each other the moment they feel comfortable around the other.

It was a cursed puffer fish's dilemma and for some reason it prickled him more than it should.

::::: :::::

His temple throbbed from the hit he got from the Ornitier when they were tilted from side to side. He was about to stretch his numbed muscles, however his hands stopped in mid-air. A soft "oh" left his lips, before his hands fell back to his side.

Sitting frozen in that position for a time as if the world had collapsed around him on that sandy beach.

"So… I'm back," he murmured in a slightly dazed tone feeling truly lost for the first time in months.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

**A/N: This chapter felt like an eternity. So many things to research about pursuits and weather. Yes, weather. And in the meantime, I have a plot that I have to keep together. On top of that, university just started again. It's not a bad thing, considering how most of my ideas came from travelling to and fro, but makes writing much more difficult. Even now, I find various notes for plot and scene ideas what I desperately want to write out. (Some of them are hilarious cultural differences.) **

**Recently I published some smaller drabbles on the site. Just... saying, I guess? I just thought about promoting them in case some of you missed the mainflow. =w=b **

**Pat Fifty Storms: **I think over the years I learned to appreciate that style. Especially after exam weeks where I had to read tens of dry book, each equalling the extended version of the plot of Waiting for Godot. (One short story was about an old married couple seeing a train for the first time in their life, forgetting to get off at their destination, thus they had to walk home. Their conclusion was that trains are stupid… This happened in the span of 150 pages.) After that a _Š_vejk and Edmont Dantes were more than welcome. I think I was never bothered by Inazuma's style because I grew up with games, where theatrical style was all they knew. *coughs* Chopin's speeches in Eternal Sonata. Or Ookami.

**Att-chan:** The Ranger's Apprentice rings a bell, as it often appears in fantasy related discussions but sadly, I've never read the books. D: Probably the last western fantasy novels I've encountered were Naomi Novik's Temeraire and Andrzej Sapkowski's Wiedźmin.


	22. Chapter 22

**[22.] La Mia Tristezza**

When Rensuke opened his eyes he sat up wearing the world's most confused look on his face. The storm and the dragon were gone for good, that's sure. But the events of that nightmare were too fuzzy for him to recall anything else. He wasn't hundred percent sure, but there was another one in the end, yeah, a second dragon, but after that the movie of the night suddenly ended, like it was cut out from his life.

His headache told him this was probably because he got hit by the trysail, or something equally hard.

But needless to say, the crew wasn't lost after he got knocked out by their own ship and as soon as they could; the Ornitier was pulled ashore to spend some time with checking the damages and collecting some strength for the rest of the road. Rensuke was lying right next to the beach in the company of some freshly cut wood and some of their equipments that were used for ship repairing.

"Good morning, cap't!" Ide greeted him as the captain stood up.

"How long?" asked Rensuke.

"Just one or two hours. Nothing"

"Ahh, then that's the reason why I want to sleep for another seven hours," he stretched before turning to Ide. "Is everything alright?"

"Aye, almost. The ship's fine. She needs some readjusting here and there, but not a single scratch was found on the beauty. As for the crew… well, the usual."

"It would be highly appreciated if you went into some deeper details. What is the 'usual' for the crew and what's up with that strange pause?"

"Sir… Well, you won't like what I'm about to tell you," he paused giving Rensuke a sympathetic look before continuing. "Misaki is gone again."

A small chuckle escaped his lips. However it lacked any humour and sounded more like a tired sigh. The pathetic excuse of a merman was gone again. Great.

"Have you checked the beach?" he asked holding a hand to his head as if he was about to fight down a serious headache. He'd found it highly unbelievable that they just kept losing the monster-boy on almost every second week.

"Half of it, yes. But we didn't have too much time between pulling the ship ashore and repairing the tiny bits," Ide admitted.

"I see." the captain nodded in understanding, trying to keep his inner thoughts about the current events to himself.

He was thankful for whatever god helped them to get out of that situation with mere scratches. After all, rampaging sea dragons were never listed as the pirate's worst enemies. Crazy ghost pirates and their undead skeleton crew, however took the noble fifth place on Rensuke's list.

Probably Misaki should've gotten the fourth place, based on how many times they had to tend the poor Ornitier ever since the merman hopped on their board. Yet he couldn't really blame him for everything, as Rensuke had the feeling that the monsters appearing had something to do with the merfolk disappearing. Probably those accidents would've happened without the half-fish youth being on board.

"You know, sometimes I wish I was either a count or Sinbad," he told Ide as he glanced at the tilted form of the Ornitier.

"There is no guarantee that you wouldn't end up with a juggernaut merman," the sailor laughed, patting him on the back. The tales of Sinbad the adventurer were well known among young sailors and kids who wished to explore the seas, but they were more like kind warnings about the life on the sea. A fable to get the kids' attention and enthusiasm.

"But I would either have the money or the ability to handle the situation. We barely did any pirate business ever since he joined us and he keeps sucking away our money!"

Ide could not help but smile.

"Oi, different situations, different life qualities. If I were you, I would blame that cursed navy for tailing us wherever we go. The only deed Misaki committed lately was splashing water and commenting on almost everything."

"If you say so," he shrugged. Those comments were complains, though. For almost every little thing, Misaki had to connect his own words like tiny footnotes at the end of a page. However in his case those footnotes were present after every noun.

"Trust me, things will go back to their old glory before we notice it." That was Ide's almost always positive way of thinking. Sometimes it worked but in other times, just like now, it served as a moodlifter.

"It can't happen soon enough," he goaned.

"Well, patiency is a virtue."

"Not mine. That's for sure," he chuckled. "Need some help?"

"We're almost done, cap't if there is one thing that you could do is to find our lucky fishleg."

Rensuke could not help but smile at the thought of getting some time to rest and clear his head. Surely, as the captain his job was to constantly think about the ship's and crew's well-being but after the long months they'd spent with travelling from point A to point B the captain became weary and bored of the endless blue waves.

He took the job of finding Misaki as a gift from how fellow crewmates and with a grateful smile he started climbing the narrow path that led towards the unknown side of the island.

::::::::: ::::::::::

As the captain made his way through the thickets and the small streams that originated from the inner parts of the island, he thought back to the Sea Rose's words. The cold stare she gave him as they were having their conversation, the way she saw through Yoshimine's mask and unveiled his scheming without batting an eye.

Those were the skills he feared the most when it came to the pirate leaders. They read people like open books and given all that, he was pretty sure the Sea Rose saw something else, not just the struggles of a greenhorn captain.

As he went around a cliff that reached deep into the water, a familiar form appeared from behind the stones.

"Mi- Misaki!" He shouted, wearing a million dollar smile. However the merman did not answer to his name and this filled Rensuke's heart with an uneasy feeling.

With shaking legs he walked towards the merman, feet becoming heavier with each step as dread slowly took over his mind. This was not the pouty Misaki who vented when Naoto scolded him, nor the merman who complained about the lack of jobs around the ship. The figure sitting in front of him, was a broken person fighting back tears as Rensuke sat next to him, giving the merman worried glances.

At first Misaki said nothing but after several deep breaths he finally seemed to collect enough strength to speak.

"You know, this is the place where I used to live," he let out a heavy sigh, wiping away a single teardrop that managed to escape his eyes. From the uneven breathing and the puffy red eyes it was obvious that Misaki had been in this awful state probably ever since he ended up on the island.

"…" Rensuke said nothing as he looked at the merman.

"But no one is here anymore and you know it just hit me… that… that I'm alone. I don't have a place to return to after all of this ends."

The captain wanted to reassure him and tell Misaki that his stay on the Ornitier was not only temporary and just like always, they'd find a solution to make use of the merman's abilities around the ship, but he felt like it wasn't the time to be saying this. His words once again would serve as a patch over the open wound, not solving a single damn thing.

It must've been a cruel feeling. That's all Namikawa could add in his head.

While he never had to experience the same type of biting loneliness, thanks to always having his crew by his side, but through Misaki's words he got the perfect idea.

"When I went back… they weren't there. Nor here, nor anywhere else." Even though he was talking about the past, his voice trembled as if the catastrophe happened only yesterday. "They took everyone, even those who died in their attack or suffocated from their poison."

Misaki was seemingly so lost in his own memories, he didn't even notice when Rensuke moved closer. The captain remained silent, slowly listening to the new wave of events. Sometimes he had similar nightmares about going home and not finding a single soul. It was half-reality, after all, those who lived in Marine Snow were gone, save for his crew, but the knowledge that the others died helped him getting over the tragedy.

Life went on. He didn't search for them in every nook and cranny.

However Misaki still had some hope, and in his case the tiny ray, what usually gives people inspiration and guidance, was a deadly arrow. Each time he wanted to think of a more positive scenario the hope deepened the wound.

"I don't want to be the last one standing… I don't want to be all alone."

Rensuke was about to reach his hand towards the merman sitting next to him, however he quickly realized that one a pat on the back wouldn't really help the situation. And that comforting a depressed merman had its technical difficulties. Yet, after several serious rethinking, he didn't gave up and pulled him closer, clumsily leaning back so Misaki didn't had to twist his fins too much.

Flustered by the sudden kindness the merman turned his head away, letting his ears drop to the sides of his head. He was clearly uncomfortable, but he didn't push the captain away.

"You know, if you have anything else on your mind, you should say it now," the captain mumbled above his head.

Misaki looked up with an expression that held both disbelief and thankfulness. Though, the latter might have been only Rensuke's imagination. And then the words flooded him. "I… ran away. Captain, I betrayed them when they needed me the most and the same thing might happen with you. My friends were fighting and I turned tail. This is why the Sea Rose and everyone else keep on repeating that I should absolutely not betray anyone anymore, because the last time I did, this happened. And if I do that again, then I'll risk your safety and everyone's safety."

Rensuke was sure that the Sea Rose knew nothing about Misaki leaving his village, but didn't mention it. Instead, he tried to calm the boy down.

"Last time you had no choice, but to run. There is a big difference there. Being forced to run and choosing that option. No matter how one looks at it, the two sides are different. I don't think anyone blames you, or at least I wouldn't blame you if you turned tail in a gravely situation. Because I wouldn't want you to die for us and I could never ask you to do that."

Misaki didn't say anything at first and Rensuke started thinking that he might've said something bad.

"You're too soft," he whimpered, resting his forehead on the captain's shoulder.

"And that's what you say after I was trying to be nice with you," he sighed, suppressing a smile that wanted to break way to his face. The timing was not right, even if he'd felt some kind of strange familiarity with Misaki as he tightened his embrace around the merman's back. "But someone has to be soft."

He too, understood the root of the problem, despite living it in a completely different way, which was free of loneliness. After that, he remained silent, letting the merman's emotions to pour out, hesitantly stroking his back. The soft whimpers slowly grew into hiccups and soon the breakdown came when he finally arrived to the end of his thought process. Misaki mumbled incomprehensible words as his tears fell. Something along the lines of being braver and regretting everything he did months ago. The chain reaction that was started by a single piece of domino rose into an avalanche, ending as quickly as it began, leaving Misaki emotionally drained and tired.

"I'm sorry… This is kind of humiliating," he looked up at the captain, slowly letting go of the shirt. He still occasionally sniffled through his stuffed-up nose, but the whimpers slowly ceased into silent tears, occasionally rolling down his face.

"Happens even with the best of us," said Rensuke, wiping away a lone tear from Misaki's cheek. "And once in a while, it's better than bottling up your feelings."

He searched for something in his pockets and finally pulled out a wet cloth, probably a former tissue. "Here, your face is a mess."

"Why are you giving me this piece of cloth?" Misaki raised an eyebrow. His voice was still hoarse from crying.

"Blow your nose into it."

Like a kid, who tries to walk for the first time, he raised the self-proclaimed tissue to his face. After many unsuccessful attempts he finally managed blowing his nose on it and wiping the remaining tears from his eyes.

"Oh. So is this a human thing?" he asked, making a face as he handed the tissue back to its owner.

"No, it's a civilisation thing."

"Great," he huffed. "So now I'm the barbarian?"

"Underwater country bumpkin," Rensuke snorted earning a strong punch in his side falling back, when the merman tackled him with his whole body. "Who resorts to violence way too often."

"You deserved it," he smirked, and in a blink of a moment Rensuke's head met the sand. "The weight of your words…"

"The weight of my words is fat," he tried to push the merman off of him, but he just wouldn't budge. "Would you be so kind…?"

"No. I like it here. Today, I'm having a bad day," he stated.

The captain seemed to give up completely; he looked straight ahead to the sky. He knew it well it did take more for Misaki to get over his sadness, but he refused to comment on it. Sometimes even if a smile is fake, you just have to leave it alone.

"Don't expect me to bring you back to the Ornitier."

"Why? You could play the heroic, gold hearted captain saving the broken and distressed merman."

"Pretty unfitting for a pirate," he noted. "Also didn't I just hug the hell out of you?"

"I never said I needed a hug. But…" he took a short pause. "I can't lie about it, you helped a lot."

They continued to lie like that for the time being, none of them wanting to disturb the comforting silence found its way to the beach. Namikawa was sure that something else was there. Perhaps, honesty. Misaki was almost too good at avoiding conflicts by making small fibs, misleading people from their original intentions and questions. Simple white lies followed him around like carpet of snowdrops. However, given the current events, he was unsure about asking the merman about facts he always wanted to know. Fearing that it would come off as an interrogation he left the idea alone.

Minutes had passed and the portion of silence seemed to slowly vanish into thin air.

"You're not asking me questions."

So the merman'd noticed it too.

"Do you want me to?"

"Talking might help too," he said, resting his chin on Rensuke's stomach after moving back a little. His gaze was fixed in the rock that stood out of the shallow water like a landmark. "And if you wat to know anything then I might be willing to share it. Even merfolk secrets."

"Well I can't say that I've got no questions. Especially after that storm. But right now, when I look at you, I think it can wait. I'm tired of always asking questions," he admitted, brown eyes meeting a curious gaze.

Furthermore, truth to be told, over the months he grew tired of putting the puzzle pieces together. Whenever Namikawa thought he had the full picture, the frame suddenly grew bigger, bringing up more and more blank spots.

"Then I'll talk." Misaki looked at him. His eyes held no determination, just a dull expression. Something bothered him a lot. Rensuke was sure of it.

He braced himself, beginning the tale of a tiny nameless settlement that lied metres under the surface. How he earned the right to keep their territory safe from ships, leading the sailors away and how he returned right before the massacre ended. The day started out with a regular border patrolling, but…

"When I arrived back, the battle has come to an end with us on the losing side. I thought about stepping in, to save them or at least halt the navy, but I couldn't move and watched as this bay was completely destroyed… I was a coward." His gaze wandered for a second before he spoke again. "And I still am. After that, I decided to take my revenge and started sinking navy ships or more like _trying_ to sink them. The sailors almost always noticed the holes…"

"So after failing many times you decided you needed help." Rensuke finished it for him.

"Hmm. And that's when I decided to use you and look, I even messed up a simple task like that."

Rensuke's lips curled up. "Well, speak for yourself."

"Fool."

Rensuke stole a glance at Misaki's pout, before insisting on sitting up. Not like he had any problems with lying on his back, but his neck quickly got tired of keeping his head up in order to listen to the merman. He liked keeping at least this much contact, even if the speaker refused to look at him.

"You keep saying that I'm a fool, while I'm pretty sure you've done more foolish deeds than humble me," he told the merman once they were sitting again.

Misaki narrowed his eyes, but did not immediately respond. "Then I bet you're not interested in this fool's knowledge."

"You've got me wrong here, I'm very interested in what you're about to say, simply I just… well…" Rensuke hesitated, scratching his head. "I thought the time was not right."

"You're still just a fool."

That was Misaki's only reply before he turned towards Rensuke to give him a piece of his mind. "I might be sad, I might be grieving, but no way in hell that I'm going to turn my back on you now. If this accidental visit had any meaning to it, then it was to make my mind clear, I don't want to lose anything important ever again."

Leaning away slightly, Rensuke couldn't help but let his amazement appear on his face at Misaki's sudden change of mood. But then again, he was unpredictable like sea itself, constantly changing and never giving a moment of rest for the captain.

"Will you listen to me already?" his ears perked up as slowly leant closer to Rensuke, disturbing his personal space.

"It's not like you give me any other choice."

"Since I'm about to tell you something really important merfolk secret, you better not complain about it," he huffed. Rensuke was curious about what was coming next.

"You know that there are merfolk and other creatures that lurk beneath the surface of the sea, but you know little about what purpose those creatures serve and why." The captain nodded. "It all comes back to the natural balance. Like, imagine a scale. On one side we have the earth, on the other water. The two main components of our world. In normal cases the scale is perfectly balanced, but when they sides start to disturb each other it throws off the scale."

"So when the navy started this whole hunt the sea creatures were rapidly disappeared from the water thus the scale is now unbalanced?" he asked back.

"Yep. But because balance is the natural state, the scale tries to force itself back. This is why dragons appeared and I fear that's only the tip of the iceberg because I know that there are way worse creatures lurking in the depths."

"What do you mean?"

"Lately, I have the feeling that something is off, even though I have no idea what. And it makes me sick. At first I thought I've just eaten something bad, but when those dragons appeared I think I kind of understood." he sighed, as a signal that he'd come to a conclusion. "The sea is enraged and we, the merfolk, the dragons that huge octopus from the tales…We are all connected to the sea, so we know."

"So then it's just like how animals are able to sense catastrophes."

"I think, yes. I never heard about that. But in a way we too, are able to sense them if they're connected to water."

Rensuke nodded, even if he had no idea what Misaki was talking about he tried his best to apply earth-based logic onto it. The concept of the angry sea flew over his head like it was just a fib the merman made up on the spot.

"And your plan is to fight?"

"Do we have any other choice? Should we just sit back and watch everyone die around us?"

"We could run away and start a new life somewhere else. The boys would love some change too and imagine if we've found a lake for you," he said with a straight face. Misaki seemed to catch up, his expression slowly taking up the usual smirk.

"And after that? Turning to land-piracy?"

"Exactly. We would make a fine band of thieves."

"Idiot," Misaki said shortly.

"Alright, I've got it. I've got it. You can stop calling me names. We will fight; just give me some time to talk this over with the others." Then he quickly added "And we still have a Wanda to collect at the Lonely Islands."

To this sentence Misaki just grimaced. "Do we have to?"

"He is my first-mate!"

Before the merman could open his mouth Rensuke continued. "Grow some legs and we might talk about you getting a secondary-mate position."

The captain's only award was silence. However this time, he didn't mind it the slightest. The water that arrived with the high tide quietly rocked in front of his legs, reaching for the merman's orange scales as it softly pulled back. Night arrived once again bringing the same old scenery that repeated over centuries.

"Now, now," he said softly, as he stood up and dusted his trousers . "Shall we head back to the ship?"

It looked like the merman just snapped out of his daydreaming and he needed a second to come back to reality.

"Aye, I'll go after you in a minute."

As Rensuke fought his way back, walking along the shore he constantly halted his steps eagerly looking back at the bay. He was waiting for the merman to catch up. For a self-proclaimed coward, he had the courage to return to his roots and face the past, even if it happened accidentally.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

**A/N: Ah-hah-hahaha! Long time no see! Life's gotten kinda busy so I couldn't really focus on the story lately also the fact that I'm terribad at writing heartwrenching scenes just added to the duration of the work, but at least this one became a lengthy chapter with tons of YoshiNami action! **

**The title comes from a game called Suikoden (from the second game) because while writing I not only kept listening to the second game's OST nonstop. I thought the lyrics of "**_**La Mia Tristezza**_**" (My sadness) kinda fit this whole chapter. The song is about how someone fears farewells and death, because he can't do anything against them, but in the end he decides to fight for his happiness, despite fate's cruelity. .. So I guess, my choice of title obvious :D **

**Now, thanks for reading this and my blabbering! I hope you liked that chapter because we have arrived to the top of the rollercoaster and from now on things will go down, down, down.**

**Oh and before I forget, reviews and back pats are always welcomed~! They keep me motivated! **


	23. Chapter 23

**[23] The Coin's Other Side**

Among the nations of the islands there was one particular story that appeared at almost every island. The story was rather simple, featuring a lone pirate, who kept robbing on both sea and land, until he got a big reward on his head. Big enough to cause other pirates to hunt him down, turning their back on the honour of their kind.

"So, tell Commander Minamisawa, do you know what happened after they caught him?" Hyodou Tsukasa gave him an all-knowing smile.

Minamisawa Atsushi however, didn't know the story. Being from the kingdom of Raimon made it impossible for him to grow up with these stories and after leaving his kingdom he never really found these kind of information useful, so he never thought about researching the folk stories and legends of the archipelago.

"The pirates turned against him and got the other in jail," he guessed.

"That is, correct," his captain nodded "The pirate, however was a really persistent one and escaped his stone prison after less than a week. He went into hiding, going to his lover, but guess, what? Said lover handed him back to the authorities."

"And why does this story became so important now?"

The captain of the Crescent chuckled. "Oh, nothing. I just thought how similar that story is to our current situation especially because we have the lover on our side. It's kind of the reverse version, though."

"Yet, I think it was a rather foolish decision to pull me back from Angler's reef when we almost conquered it. A lover is just a lover, you cannot be sure when they start sympathizing with their partner, but that island stands as an important strategical location."

"No, no, no, you're right. But you know this one has great personal desires. Fame, money and a ship. And of course don't forget his personal grudge towards the captain of the Ornitier. We've failed to occupy Angler's Reef for now, but we are days away from getting our hands on a red snapper merman. You know, how valuable they are, right?"

No, Hyoudou didn't have to tell him twice how important are various types of merfolk for their plans. The small ones, those who were originated from fish like sardines and colourful but tiny creatures, held lesser importance than the big ones. However, even after years of duty, Atsushi had no idea why these monsters were so vital for their actions. Sure, he had seen suspicious movements, like the navy taming monsters in order to fill some positions in battle, but the connection between them and mermaids never really made any sense, especially because merfolk themselves were treated like goods.

But knowing so little was not the only thing that angered him, right now.

"I beg your pardon, but I think I should've been able to catch that scum. There was no need to make things so complicated."

"Just like before?" Hyodou shook his head, that wry smile still lingering on his face. "I appreciate your diligence, but we can't have you playing this cat mouse fight anymore. The order came from above. And what else is better than turning brothers against each other?"

Minamisawa stared back at him blankly. Sometimes even he found Hyoudou's methods cruel. "…Why?"

"Do you feel bad, commander?" Hyodou asked, his words almost freezing the atmosphere in his office. However, Minamisawa was unaffected by him.

"Simply surprised that you would do something so low and so un-chivalry," he answered lips turning into a tiny smirk.

"War is not about chivalry and other knightly manners. I need them to be broken in order to fight off those pirates."

"But giving him the Artemicion was bit of…"

"That's why we have Munemasa on the ship. He hardly trusts anyone, That stone brained idiot, therefore we have our pirate at bay. As long as he keeps himself to our agreement, we will keep him alive," Hyodou explained.

"It can be quite difficult to collar a wild dog," Atsushi murmured under his breath, but his words were noticed anyway.

"This is why you need to shoot it down, if it gets too violent," he looked up when he turned back to Minamisawa. "Be it either way, we will have a whimpering crew and the merman in our hands. Those dastardly pirates will either end their days in our dungeons or play their role in our war. We will see how it turns out."

They stood there, facing each other and Minamisawa tried his best to solve the loose ends. He was used to political plays, but this was something else. There must've been something else behind the scenes what was sealed away from prying eyes. And he will surely find out what kind of little secrets were hidden away from the public.

:::::: ::::::

As he was making his way through shelves, the thought of hidden secrets kept bugging him endlessly. Something was off with the way things happened at the dukedom. Based on Atsushi's previous experiences, their goal was not only a mere expansion. That could've been done months ago, since they had the required fleet for an all-out invasion, but for some reason Hyoudou and Kondou, the ruler of the dukedom, refused to take their step.

"Instead, they started shipping out medicines," he mumbled to himself taking a turn and the end of the row. The books around him were useless, however. Maritime certificates, records and history books kept lining on each side. If he wanted to read the full history of the island nations, he could with hundreds of books serving to deepen his knowledge.

Medicines. This had to do something with the remedy they kept taking away from the fortress to aid the villages on the dukedom's territory that has been struck by plague. But Atsushi saw the reports; the epidemic still took lives even if it was stopped from spreading to other villages. Yet, despite this, medicine was still sent out regularly, if not daily.

This brought up the question of what stopped the plague. The quarantine that was ordered by the dukedom or their own mixture? And if it was so effective, then why did they even make the medicine in such large quantities if it was useless?

However, the biggest blank spot was, how could they make medicine, if the fortress has to get provisions once a week and even with that they have problems of supplies despite the castle being small.

This lead Atsushi to the secluded part of their library, his eyes kept scanning the shelves, gaze skipping past unimportant words until he'd seemingly found what he was searching for. "Taxonomy of Creatures" "Anatomical Chart of Humanoid Ichthyes**"** also since he was at it, he grabbed the rather thick edition of „Legends of the Seas".

Minamisawa Atsushi was sure that he could sneak out holding those three books, but alas, luck was not on his side and even in the middle of the night footsteps echoed through the corridors. He was about to hide in the shadows, when a voice called for him.

"Can't sleep either?" a voice came from behind him, sending shivers down Atsushi's spine. He slowly turned to the owner of the voice, quickly taking up his usual calm expression.

"Now, that's one way to say it," he smirked, trying to hide the titles of his books from his fellow sailor, Masamune Gorou. "However, I would rather say that I was thirsting for knowledge."

However Gorou was quick to take up on his actions. From the moment the first word left Atsushi's lips, the general was lost. He could see the youth smiling beneath his red metallic mask.

"You better be quieter next time. And don't bring a lantern you were emitting light, like a firefly," he snickered. "Or else your thirst for knowledge will send you to prison."

Puzzled by what sounded like a riddle, Atsushi nodded hesitantly, before Gorou continued:

"Those books you have there are enough to make anyone suspicious. Taxonomy? Maritime studies? You better hide those."

"Someone here talks like he knows almost too much, however," Atsushi raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure it is I, who should be sitting in prison? I could list hundreds of reasons on how you violated the rules regarding curfews, talking back to your superior and other made up segments. It's only a stroke of my pen."

"You wouldn't do that," Gorou probably smiled beneath the mask as he leant to the wall.

"And why?"

"Because you know that I know something and this tiny little knowledge is bigger than your so called thirst for books. If you get rid of me, your only usable lead will be gone."

"So you're basically asking me to keep you alive."

"That's another way of saying it. The cat keeps the mouse alive, so it can lead him to the nest." His eyes shone with a curious glimmer. He was leading Atsushi by his nose, pulling a honeyed thread in front of him and to his biggest surprise, the general almost immediately fell for it, reaching for the tiniest bits of information like a hungry beggar.

"What if the nest is filled with rats? What if it's a trap?"

"When the mouse stands on the side of justice it won't betray those who seek the truth." He stepped away from the wall, and turned around to head back to his quarters. "But if you want to chit-chat let's meet at the tavern tomorrow morning. Just say, that you want to see how the festival's preparations are going."

Atsushi nodded in agreement, even if Gorou couldn't see his reaction anymore. He had to raise his hat before the youth's wits or at least before his talent to twist and alter his sentences until they looked like a well-versed puzzle. But could he really trust the sailor? Lately, this thought kept tormenting him. The weird orders he got from his superiors, the monsters that were put under his care whenever they raided a village or an entire island. And there was Hyoudou who took a sidestep whenever Atsushi tried to interrogate him about their plans.

From their side, it made sense because Atsushi was still an outsider despite spending almost three years serving in their army, but from the on the other hand the questions he'd asked were always minor like a kid who wants to know more about a new toy. Where did they lock away the monsters? Why were they so important for the navy?

Just because – was their answer – You don't have to know. It's not your division.

"However you picked fight with the wrong person," he snickered, tightening his grip on the books.

Atsushi hastily made his way back to his room. Midnight was long gone and over the horizon he could see purple and orange merging together painting the dark clouds. He quickly hid his books between his mattress and the bedframe then took a quick nap. From now, there was no need to rush.

:::::::::::: :::::::::::

Despite barely having any time to sleep, Minamisawa woke up according to his daily schedule; he even had some time to flip through the books before greeting his sailors and soldiers and asking permission to leave the fortress. Not participating in the dukedom's customs and traditions made it easy for him to disguise his trip with simple curiosity saying how he got curious after listening to Ibuki's blabbering about the food and the atmosphere.

He arrived to the tavern late morning, after everyone had their breakfast and went to continue the preparations. It was not hard to find Gorou who had been sitting near the empty fireplace, still wearing his infamous mask. He seemingly had not been disturbed by the new face in the crow and kept sipping away his drink while Atsushi made his way to his table and took a seat.

"I can't say I'm not surprised," he told him at last. "Have you thought about what I've said yesterday?"

"Thinking might be a strong word for that. But you've piqued my interest," Atsushi spread his arms in defeat, "So here I am."

"Well that's a start," Gorou let out a small sigh. "So what do you know about the navy so far? I'm not asking you the formalities, but what they do under the name of border protecting."

That was a hard question. His observations brought nothing that he could've used in this conversation so he only shook his head in defeat.

"This will be a long breakfast. Might we even call it lunch if we're at it," Gorou laughed before waving to the waitress to order another round and something to eat. "Let's start with the basic of basics. Raimon is currently under attack from the north, Seidouzan have already seized and destroyed Arakumo, it's only matter of time before they start heading more into the territories of Raimon. So we have a weakened kingdom, not a big thing nowadays, however, what comes after this might interest you."

Atsushi looked at him. He seemed surprised and loss for words. If Arakumo fell then that meant that Raimon's aerial forces were destroyed along with them safe for the Pegasus knights and some units that were kept near the capital. A terrible feeling washed over him as he thought about his own home.

"But the dukedom can't attack Raimon. Its military forces are almost bound to water."

"That would've been the right way of thinking a few years ago. However, they've mastered a new type of weapon and the dukedom is now almost ready to test it at the southern borders of Raimon as soon as they bring down Tengawara. Then they have a free road towards the smaller towns."

"Yes, strategically it would look like this. But you still haven't answered my question, how. How would the water-based army be able to fight on land," he raised an eyebrow. The food they got was nothing special, but it was enough to wake him up a bit after the almost sleepless night. He got so focused on reaching the tavern, he'd barely eaten anything and it started to affect his attention span.

"What if I told you, that our dear alchemists had found a way to create weapons that are useful on land and water."

"I would call you an idiot," admitted Atsushi.

Gorou let out a laugh.

"Then this idiot asks you for one thing: Start connecting the pieces. Why do we hunt pirates when they don't cause any troubles? Why do we go as far as to destroy the homes of innocents who never caused any trouble for us? Marine snow? Aoba? They were all just tiny villages, yet they were burnt to ashes, their people were sent into the deepest floors of our dungeons. Same goes for the merfolk? Why? Since when did fishing out mythical creatures turn into a regular job? I'm pretty sure if you look at it again, once you've read those books you will understand why I don't stand on anyone's side in this battle."

"And how do you know that I won't betray you? Doubting the orders of your bosses might get you in trouble."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure that a spy from Raimon wouldn't speak ill about the defender of justice. Though, what a little mouse you are! You can't see the forest because a tree is obstructing your way!"

At the mention of spies, Minamisawa tensed up, his hand holding the glass stooped midway in the air. His lips slowly took up the form of a pained smile as he emptied his glass. They had finally come to the heart of the matter and Gorou unveiled his ace. Atsushi hadn't even tried to question his knowledge; the masked youth was right all along.

"Well, then maybe with your help, I might be able to see just enough to decide whether or not your actions are helpful."

However, this game was played by two people, each of them holding a gun to the other's temple. If one of them went down, the he pulled the other along with him.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**A/N:** **And another chapter is done, this time it's not about fooling around with pirates but searching for answers with Minamisawa!** **And it looks like he has some explaining to do or rather, researching.**

**Since I've mentioned Raimon a lot in this chapter I want you to take a look at Rhapsody Afar. It will be a 4-5 chapter long prologue that will led up the events at Tengawara. It's not a must read, but if you're interested in Raimon's role also Pegasus knights, then it might be an interesting side story.**

**I really wanted to show you that this story is not as black and white as one might've guessed it. But rather it's about goals and earning them through using others. **


	24. Chapter 24

**[24] Devil's Cards**

After that Minamisawa Atsushi's life had arrived to a turning point and Gorou wasted no time to quench his thirst for knowledge. Like a teacher telling stories to a kid, he always tried to hide his information beneath endless layers of coating and empty words. It took Minamisawa days to get used to this type of information sharing and he often had to ask Gorou to repeat or rephrase his sentences. In fact, every sentence, to keep their knowledge their knowledge to themselves.

"So correct me if I happen to be wrong here," Minamisawa started when he was assigned to do paperwork for the fortress. "But based on your words, there is something more to this than it meets the eye?"

Gorou snickered beneath his mask, and sat on the edge of Minamisawa's desk.

"Careful, your Raimon blood is showing!" he joked, before snatching away the paper that lay in front on Minamisawa. It was simple accounting. He had to go through every expense the fortress had, counting the requested stock and the future amount of money that will be needed to fulfil the numbers appearing on list. "The devil is in the details, my friend. This paper stinks a bit, don't you think? Or are you just signing whatever comes?"

Atsushi took back the paper, giving Gorou an irritated glance, before he started skimming through the contents. Nothing was unusual.

"General Minamisawa, how would you get more money if you had to make this list? And spare me from working harder."

And then the young general started thinking. He read the list one more time, searching for unusual entries. However, after carefully rereading the entries, he'd found out that everything stinks on that piece of paper. It was worse than the average tax evasion and swindles that cambists did to unsuspecting merchants.

"You know, it's quite interesting how we get our money spending money in silver penger, but they are so keen on asking cash in _argint_."

"Oh?" Gorou's eyes widened in surprise. He was rather pleased by Minamisawa's remark. "So you were listening in school? Great! I'm almost proud of you now!" His laugh echoed in the small room. Minamisawa has found the key to get rich within a short amount of time and the navy used this method to get the extra cash they needed for whatever reasons. To think that a mere soldier would be able to pinpoint this extraordinary and small difference…

"So would you be so kind and explain how the southern _argint _suddenly turns into penger?"

"Ugh, do I really have to explain how trade works?" he heaved a long suffering sigh. There was no other way. "Look, I absolutely won't go into details because there are some things about trading that you should now and the first is: trading is complex. It always depends on the traders and how sly they are. For example, let's take Merchant A. A comes from the north bringing weapons, if the destination country is in war then the price of weapons skyrockets, if not then _c'est la vie_. However, even the best version can bring him grief in this case, let's take _penger_ as an example. Its price dropped few months ago, so that means Merchant A either has to raise the price on his cargo to prevent any loss, or accept the loss."

This started to get extremely confusing and Atsushi soon found himself staring into the distance. Following explanations coming from Gorou was an unusually hard task because the youth tended to add as many details into his speech as it was humanly possible.

Cargo? Prices? Soon the words formed one matter, slipping past Atsushi's subconscious.

"I had the feeling this will be like explaining physics to a chicken."

"You should blame yourself for being horrible at explanations." Despite his confused look, Atsushi still kept his prideful attitude.

"My explanations wouldn't be so horrible if I wasn't explaining these basic things to a complete newbie!" He then reached for a paper, stole the pen from Minamisawa's hands and started scribbling some kind of graph with cows, chickens and money.

"So," he slid the paper in front of Minamisawa. "We have A, has valuable things, but B has bad money. A wants to raise the price, but B say nope, A makes a loss B buys goods on lower price. Furthermore, B gets money in _argint _to spend it on resources_,_ through trading he makes _silver penger… _Argh, why am I even explaining these things to you?"

Gorou seemed to be really annoyed by the time he somehow finished his speech.

"Because you don't want me to ruin your perfect plan." the snarky remark made Gorou groan.

"Ah, right. Remind me to give you some books later. Some books that are not related to marine biology. Damn my life, is everyone in Raimon dark as you?"

Mr. Frustration man. That was Minamisawa's first thought when he saw the shorter man making a fuss over literally nothing. The basic idea was that the Dukedom swindled money in any way they could to get some extra profit that ended up _somewhere._ Getting their payment in penger meant, that once again, the big dogs at the navy got some profit from employing them. There was absolutely no need to go into details regarding the ugly secrets of trading as the main idea was clear as day.

"Forgive me, counting is not Raimon's strongest point."

"Noticed that. But you've been cheated, that's the main idea."

"I'm aware of that. However I still have to sign this list, regardless of our information. And there is that awful feeling that even as I sit here I'm losing time."

"You're not half wrong, but until now you scraped around the ground like a rat. We shall be more effective from now on."

How right he was.

::::::: :::::::

Days went on uneventfully. The Ornitier sailed the seas with no problems, fighting off waves which rose in front of her and this came with the side-effect of Misaki getting bored.

He started off rather normally, striking up conversations as the day progressed but even those got out of style extremely fast after a few days of repeats. There was only a limited set of greetings Yoshimine could come up as the others were coming and going on the deck. But even if he did found new ways to stop them from walking past, there was nothing to talk about. It became awkward for his tastes. Just like the food Tooru served each day.

Fish with fish. They ran out of land provisions last week, so they had to rely on Misaki to catch fish for them. However, even after all their groaning and whining Rensuke shown no change and kept clinging to their original goal: to meet Wanda as soon as possible. But it looked like, safe for Yoshimine, everyone knew why he was so persistent on not visiting the docks at Griswold.

"You know we should really take a break from sailing all week long," Saruga tried to recommend him, when he managed to catch the captain off guard. "Griswold is three days away from here and…"

"No, and absolutely no, that town is out of question. It's not even on my map," because he scribbled over the entire island after a certain incident.

"It's time for you to face the consequences of your actions," Saruga told him, before patting Rensuke on the back.

"What?!" his voice sounded like a scared whimper. "What kind of consequences are you talking about?"

"The very reason why you refuse to meet Yaku face to face."

"Because he is an idiot and annoying vermin who is somehow related to Kabutenji Yuu and refuses to leave me alone with his gravelly voice? No thanks, I'm not willing to return to that hell hole."

"Oh, come on. Griswold is our best bet yet and we desperately need to refill our stocks or else we will live on barnacles for another week or two! Even Misaki is getting bored of it."

The captain made faces at Saruga before settling for a childish pout. "Fiiine. But don't expect me to set my foot on that dirty island."

"Not even with Misaki?" he asked teasingly.

"Especially not with Misaki!"

"Too bad, I bet he would love to look around in Griswold. It's a rather charming town unlike that smelly Rottingham. And well, lately he's been asking everyone about humans so seeing few up-close would make him shut up."

Namikawa opened his eyes and looked at his bosun. "So, because you have trouble answering his question, you drop responsibilities at your captain."

"I would hardly call this _our_ responsibility. But what I meant to say is, since he currently serves on a human ship it would be helpful if he saw some humans other than us, maybe buildings and etcetera." Saruga was about to give the best speech of his life and hell, he will bring the crew's plan through.

"If I didn't know you better, I would say that you're trying to sell me something."

"Captain, you know it well that if I wanted something, I would tell you face to face. But here I'm just merely thinking of a way we could easily solve Yoshimine's problem."

"By causing more problems for me?" Rensuke raised an eyebrow.

"The thing you are referring to as a _problem_, might just mean _possibility_ in reverse. Do you remember when was the last time you had fun? And see? That's the problem. So Yoshimine equals the possibility of having fun without Yaku kicking your ass."

The way Saruga finished his sentence, the way he winked at Rensuke whenever the word possibility left his mouth made the captain uncomfortable. He was wondering if he had made some mistake, because the way Saruga tried to imply him and Yoshimine taking a stroll in Griswold had a strange aftertaste in his mind. Just like when you know that someone is trying to get your money, but first they will make it look like it's the best thing you can do with it. Just give it to them, and all of your problems are solved.

However, Saruga already had a plan. He just prepared Rensuke to be the part of that plan.

"Out with it, what is my benefit from dragging that sardine all the way up to Griswold?" the captain snapped at him.

"I told you already, it's all part of the Captain Relaxation Project without that bossy brat annoying you."

"Project…" he heaved a sigh. "Just how many of you are part of this project?"

"If you knew, captain, you would be quite proud of your crew."

"Well, I would be quite proud of my crew, if they didn't try to make my life better every day. And am I the only one who has to baby-sit a merman?" the captain gave him a dubious look.

"Well, since your route is usually the most colorful, yes. We hardly ever leave the port area, but you keep visiting the acquaintances and selling goods, so Misaki would surely enjoy that more."

Yes, the accent was surely on the last sentence. It was about that merman again, to make him happy, or at least less bored and this was only achievable by dragging Rensuke into this mess. How great.

"I'll regret this later." he said out loud, but Saruga only chuckled.

"You won't. Trust me."

::::::::::::: ::::::::::

Two days have quickly passed, following the same routine they'd already gotten used to. However, on the third day Rensuke had started noticing that his crew acted funny. They often shared glances when he was around and there was that suspicious grin whenever he passed the cooper, Tairamaru, who just dodged his questions by cherishing the good weather. Saruga, too, seemed to withhold as much information as he could and used the same strategy as everyone else. Needless to say, the weather was perfect according to the sailors.

"You know, I have the feeling that they are planning something," Misaki once noted when Rensuke got another empty answer.

Rensuke could not help but ask, "So were you left out of the fun too, huh?"

"Kind of. I've reached the point where I start asking do I look funny? Did a second head just grow on my shoulder?"

"Well, they were talking about me bringing you to Griswold so their weird behaviour can be a result of that."

Misaki let out a small snort when he finally imagined how that would look like. Rensuke dragging him everywhere by his tail. Certainly, there was no other way to get a merman away from the sea.

"Griswold. Out of all places."

"May I ask what's so bad about that town?"

"Nothing, really. the town itself is fine, though it's nothing extraordinary compared to Tengawara's capital. It's just that me and the local big shot had some misunderstandings in the past."

Misaki's ears perked up as his eyes shone with curiosity. The chance of getting some new information to munch on! he wasted no time to start nagging the captain.

"That sounds like an interesting story," he started but Rensuke was quick and replied without hesitation.

"It's not worth talking about," he averted his gaze.

"Sure. Then you've got nothing against asking the others?"

"He?! Hell no! I'll be the one who tells you, when I feel the time right," he stomped on the floor like a little child. If there was one thing that really irritated him on the ship, that his crew seemed to love take matters into their hands, and this topic required good wording and plenty of explanations.

What Rensuke didn't know at that moment, was that the crew had an entirely different plant and it didn't include ruining his reputation. However they did plan to make his life miserable.

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**So, this chapter ended up being shorter because if I included the Misadventures in Griswold, I would certainly break the site's word limits/chapter. Also the reason for making this short is because I need to put my works on hiatus until April and lately I live on animation related books and articles and I'm afraid that it would affect my writing style. You know, it the type of thing when you have to do something, but extreme guilt builds up in your gut whenever you do something else. **

**Kudos to everyone for your patience, I promise the next chapter will be a blast. Also Kabutenji Yaku is indeed Yuu's bratty little brother. You can even scout him InaGO.**


	25. Chapter 25

**[25] Round-Robin**

The best word to describe what Griswold looked like from the outside was: _gorgeous_. While most of the town's residences where hidden behind the natural, uneven rock wall, which protected the island for centuries. Still, Misaki could see the colourful stone buildings, and a thin red tower, that rose above the residences. From their current position, he could take out the three bells on the top of it.

"That's the Cadence Tower over there," Tooru told him, when Misaki's attention was captivated by the narrow view of the city. "It was built as gift of gratitude by someone from the city of Oumihara. They say, the three bells symbolize the three towns of this island and their strong connection."

Yoshimine looked at him puzzled at first.

"I thought people only built one city per island," he noted.

"Well, that's not always the case, ya' know. Griswold, Oumihara and Karaib were very different regarding their circumstances, but this is why they could work together so perfectly. Oumihara is like Angler's reef with the exception, they have the best music school in the entire archipelago and their knowledge about sounds is astonishing. I bet, they are the only loose-screws here, who have a singing lighthouse," he let out a wholehearted laugh before continuing. " Then there is Griswold, you've heard of that one, but I'm pretty sure if you ask Rensuke, he would be more than happy to tell you about the town. The last one was destroyed over the course of history, by his own people and outer forces like the Kingdom of Zeus, but the bell remained between the other two as a memorial."

The concept was weird. But then again, human's concept of living was completely nonsense for him sometimes. At first he thought they acted based on feelings and not instincts like most creatures, but then empathy and logic was brought into the mix, creating a strange miscellany of different ideas.

"Shouldn't they be happy that their rival is down?"

"I suppose yes," nodded the chef in agreement. "But Karaib, despite being a pirate village was important to both sides because they brought materials and valuables unattainable in legal ways. As long as they didn't sink their teeth into the other two, they were free to roam the seas."

"Your concept of piracy is even more twisted than I first thought," he murmured under his nose.

"Hm-hm. And this is why we thought you should spend more time with the captain."

"Like I'm not spending majority of my time around him already," Misaki scoffed.

"Being in a closed space together and spending time on your own is completely different, Misaki. I'm pretty sure you, of all people, understand this."

"Aye-aye."

"Spare your lack of enthusiasm for later," Tooru laughed before patted him on the shoulder. The impact was strong enough to make Misaki swing a bit forward.

Damn, he was already scared of thinking what Tooru and the others have planned for them, but right now the answer was closer than he had thought. All the hints on him visiting the town, and the grins they got from the crew member finally formed the full picture.

"You are worse than _selkies_, you know that?" he growled, glaring daggers into Tooru.

"Well, at least we won't drown you," Tooru grinned, obviously enjoying Misaki's struggles.

"What a relief," the merman huffed, retaining his usual, confident posture.

"Now, if you excuse me, I need you to get out of that boat."

Before he could say something, which was clearly against the idea of him leaving the only safe haven he had on the cursed ship someone grabbed him from behind and another pair of hands pulled him by the tail.

_Traitor!,_ he was about to scream, but it sounded like a silent growl. A cloth prevented him from opening his mouth.

His clothes were in terrible shape.

The Prussian blue coat he would usually wear for negotiations was dusty and no matter how hard he tried to rub a wet cloth against it, he couldn't get the light grey stains out of the fabric. Rensuke had a faint recollection that this is how they got dirt out of their clothes, but it seemed to fail when he needed this knowledge the most. Sadly, there was a point where dust completely ate its way into the depth of anything, including wood, metal and even clothes and this was one enemy he couldn't win against.

The expensive coat died before he could ever wear it in public.

He silently cursed under his breath. It's not like he wanted to look good, but after what happened in Griswold he had to keep his image as a captain, even if he'd ruined his reputation with the current governor and burned down every bridge in before possible future negotiations.

"And yet I look like a clown," he sighed, readjusting the collar of his white shirt. If Naoto was there he would probably laugh at his pathetic outfit, calling him circus monkey or something along the lines. But said first mate was still hundreds of miles away from them, with little to no hope to meet the crew again. Even if it hurt it admit, after weeks, even Rensuke had to admit that if Naoto'd survived that siege it would've been a true miracle.

He didn't give up on him, it was just… hard. In the end, he got to the point to admit his mistake, but he only started realizing the emptiness behind Naoto's words. He dispiritedly threw the coat on his bed, before turning around to look for his boots.

"I hope you aren't planning to wear that atrocious coat."

"At least, I try to look presentable," he answered to Souma who invaded his room without any warning sign. His friend didn't answer, just walked over to the chest where he kept most of his clothes and started rummaging through the content of the box.

"Okay," the bosun looked up, wearing a rather irritated smirk. "Where do you keep your normal clothes? Why do you even have this?! No offence, Cap't but even Misaki has better style than you, and he is mostly naked."

"And the reason for your appearance is…?" Rensuke raised an eyebrow, letting the insult pass over his head.

"I don't know anymore." These words meant that Saruga already had something in mind, because there is no way in hell that he is going to let Rensuke wear that pathetic excuse of an outfit. He took great care of the ship, making sure she looks perfect, but everything is in vain if the captain looks like he just got out of the red light district after a long night. "First of all, take everything off safe for your underwear and the shirt."

"Excuse you…?!" Rensuke stared at him in disbelief, silently clutching the buttons of his shirt.

"Rensuke, do you want to ruin the reputation of the ship, too?" Saruga asked with a hint of seriousness in his voice. This seemed to be enough to drown the remaining words coming from Rensuke, because the captain silently took off the previous attire, while the bosun kept giving him the new pieces as replacement. In no time, he was wearing an embroidered vest (which he had no recollections of obtaining) and soon, white stockings were thrown at him. "The choice is yours. Breeches or trousers?"

"Trousers!" the captain spoke almost immediately.

"Good," Saruga nodded. "Then pair them with those boots, not your regular work boots, but the ones in the corner of the room and, then, we can talk. Everyone is waiting for you."

"What? Why?" Those were his last words, before the door closed in front of him leaving Rensuke alone with his confused expression.

Everyone was acting suspicious. Everyone.

Yet Rensuke had to admit that Saruga's choice of outfit was spot on. The maroon vest with its claret embroidery looked acceptable with the dark trouser and the boots. While he wouldn't admit it openly, he liked what he saw in the mirror, even though he looked nothing like a pirate. Certainly, as he watched himself, he thought of a noble from the Kingdom of Tengawara, minus the high and mighty attitude.

However, there was a crew he had to meet on the deck. A rather suspicious crew, to be exact.

"Here goes nothing," he told himself. His hand was already on the doorknob, but once he stepped out of his cabin, almost immediately the feeling of regret grew heavy on his shoulders. Everyone had a smile plastered in their face.

The first one to speak was Nagisa, along with Azu they made movements like two stage masters, announcing the arrival of their captain.

"Now that our greatest and beloved captain is finally here, and looks stunning in his new outfit, we the Kaiou pirates have a surprise to our kind-hearted leader! It is crafted with love!"

"What?" was all Namikawa could ask, before he got caught by the hand and pulled towards the end back of the group.

"So, we thought that you should get some free time away from the ship," Tooru explained. His voice remained calm the entire time Rensuke was dragged towards their little present, but a proud smile was on his lips during his speech. "But arranging something where both you and Misaki would stand or rather, sit on the same ground was hard. So Saruga had an idea, and Tairamaru, being the master of carpenters, offered his help to make something that would allow Misaki to see the world."

He was about to make a remark regarding fake legs, when he'd seen the actual device. Though, the word _device_ might have been a little bit too strong for the makeshift wheelchair. It was just one of their regular old spare chairs from the kitchen, with padding, four wheels and armrests. Rensuke stopped dead, staring at the merman in front of him.

The crew did an extremely good job at hiding his tail, covering it with clothes and blankets and creating a tiny space under the chair, where they can hide the rest of his tail. But this wasn't the end of it, because they, for the first time in history, dressed the merman up. He was wearing a light brown shirt; probably loot from one of their previous hunts and draped a dark brown cape over his shoulders, kept together by one button.

It was Misaki, but at the same time, Rensuke couldn't really find the words what could describe the sight in front of him. Alien, perhaps? No, the fish-men deserved that word better. The merman in front of him was anything but alien. In some way, he would even admit that Misaki looked marvellous.

"I swear this wasn't my idea!" Misaki raised his hands up in a defensive manner. If his ears were not visible he could've been a disabled boy, but now said ears were flat against Misaki's head making his embarrassment more and more visible with each passing moment. "I mean, can you believe that I would ask anyone for these rugs?"

He let out a weak laugh, before he averted his gaze. He couldn't hide, and the fact that the entire crew was standing around them just made everything worse. If it wasn't embarrassing enough already, he had to deal with the smug grins surrounding them.

"No, you look fine!"

"What?"

Rensuke opened his mouth to answer, but he couldn't utter a single word. What, indeed.

"Would you two just stop waltzing around each other?!"

Suddenly everyone's attention was directed toward Kouichirou, the shortest member of the crew. He wasn't angry, but rather, he was disappointed by his stone-headed captain. "Rensuke, just once in this life admit that we did a good job and go with the flow. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming."

"I didn't mean it that way!" he grunted. "And I'm proud of you, of course, but this won't change the fact that you did something behind my back and refused to tell me about it."

"Well that's the point of a gift," Kouichirou shrugged. "But this is so like you! Just say that Misaki looks dashing in the disguise we came up with, then go and show him the city."

"That's not how this works!"

Besides, first their problem was Rensuke not appreciating their handiwork.

"How _what _works?! Don't tell that you thought we are doing this because you are courting Misaki," he told him with a smirk on his face. Rensuke was losing in front of his entire crew and this was all thanks to that goddamned salmon. If he wasn't there maybe his rank as captain would mean something on this ship.

"Wait what does courting mean?" they could hear Misaki's voice from the background. He seemed to get over his initial embarrassment and now, the merman was ready to jump into the ring to take part in the conversation. However, his voice found deaf ears.

"I'm not courting him!"

"Then don't be a baby and take him with you, because you will certainly need someone, if you have to talk with the Governor here. And you must talk with him, because we need money, we need rations and most of all we need some days away from the sea without the fear of Yaku's henchmen kicking us out."

"Fine, fine. I'll take that big salmon with me, happy now?"

"Look, Rensuke, I know you are angry with us, but we did this for your sake," Nagisa stepped in, when he felt that the atmosphere has gotten too heavy to handle. His voice seemed to calm Rensuke down as his shoulder loosened a little bit. "You always look after us and work behind the scenes to ensure that we always have something to eat despite being pirates. You think we haven't noticed it? That whenever we were about to run out of money, suddenly we had just the right amount to continue our voyage. Whenever someone gets sick you rush to the nearest island. Captain, no, Rensuke just as you want to keep us happy, the same is true about your crew."

By the time Nagisa finished, tears welled up in Rensuke's eyes. It was a sudden change, but he felt like a child who was caught red-handed when he was fishing for cookies and he thanked the gods that Nagisa didn't go into greater details about his solo missions. It was bad enough that seemingly everyone knew about it, but he felt miserable at the thought of his friends wanting to repay his kindness.

"Thanks for pointing that out," he took a deep breath, successfully keeping his tears at bay. "But enough of this sappy party. What have you planned for today, if I may ask?"

His question was addressed to everyone. If they were so ahead of him, it would've been a shame to let their efforts go to waste, especially because, to his cursed luck, everyone was enjoying this little game far too much.

"We will take care of the regular stuffs around the ship like refilling supplies or getting money for maintance. Just write a list like you usually do with some of the things you should do around town and we will finish them."

"That's kind of you. But where does Misaki come into the picture?"

"He will be with you during your visit to the governor also we thought that Griswold would be the best place to show him first."

Saruga ungracefully butted into the conversation.

"Yeah, because Rottingham is anything but beginner friendly."

"We made a list of activities and places you could visit together as it would be important for us that our merman is well-aquitanced with human customs." Tooru handed him a piece of paper, filled with numbers and almost thirty lines of plans.

"You weren't wasting your free time, I see," Namikawa said as he skipped through the first ten or so lines. On first place, there was Visiting the Governor of Griswold, after it there was lunch, roaming around the city and other nonsense suggestions with the exception on one, which was underlined several times. Visit the church.

That one disturbed him a lot more he dared to admit.

Not because he hated churches, but because he felt uncomfortable around people who waited for salvation from someone up there. Even if God existed he must've hated pirates, and he just wasn't ready to listen to the priest's preaching about the errors of his ways for the hundredth time.

As if he could read his thoughts Tooru added, "Misaki will go as wandering pilgrim."

"Wait, you've been excluding me from this for too long. What?" Misaki's voice rang though the crowd, hands folded. "What is a pilgrim? And what is courting?"

"About courting ask the captain later," Nagisa quickly said, earning a snort from Azu's side. "Pilgrim is a person who visits churches during his travels. According to them this is the way to experience what God has given to us."

"What is God? Don't get me wrong. I appreciate that you think of me as an equal, but I still need a dictionary for you, guys." he said, but the boys could only shrug.

"God is like a person who is never at home and constantly leaves his kids alone in the kitchen next to a burning stove," Rensuke tried to explain, stopping his bitter remarks in the idea phase. "Some people worship him and by building churches they think they can be closer to each other."

"That's quite sad." the merman nodded "So what is my job as a pilgrim?"

"Just visit the church," Tooru smiled at him. "I bet Rensuke here still knows a few prayers from the old times. Out of everyone on this ship his mother was the most persistent person when it came to masses."

"Ach, don't even remind me," a grimace ran through his face accompanied by an over exaggerated chill which shook his shoulders. "All those mornings I had to spend in that ugly place listening to an old hag reading the most boring stories of the world."

"Well, at least you weren't kicked out like Wanda. And that's already gives us a better ground to work with."

"Aye, I might still remember some of the shorter poems so as long as I don't have to do more than that, we are going to be fine."

The difference between Naoto and Rensuke was always striking, but everyone recited the old saying opposites attract whenever it was mentioned. Being next to a religious country like Raimon made it impossible to get away from their pushy priests and soon on some way or other even the smallest town had its own cleric to share the word of their lord.

However, no one really cared about them.

It was like a silent peace-treatment with Raimon rather than an actual expansion of religion. They were happy to have representatives of their God everywhere, while the island nations didn't have to worry about a possible war over religion and since they mostly prayed to the sea, no one was really against a new building and some fancy customs as long as others, like the _Coral Festival_ and their long running traditions could be kept or merged.

In the end, even pirate villages got their own representative. Needless to say, they soon turned toward piracy while writing reports filled with white lies.

Marine snow was no different.

After the disappearance of his father, Rensuke's mother however found her somewhat restless peace by visiting the church whenever she had something on her mind. Then, thanks to the unlikely friendship between the priestess and the pirate Rensuke ended up attending to classes with some other kids. But news travelled fast and soon Nagisa and Naoto were sitting among the group of students, talking about old tales and good deeds.

Tales. Because none of them truly believed in God.

Knowing the customs and beliefs was only important when it came to dealing with different regions and for a pirate it never hurt to know how to address their future trade partners or victims. That's what they kept telling each other after classes ended. However, Naoto could never really accept the fact that he was forced to learn about something he despised with his entire being.

_I couldn't care less about your so called god, _he said one day when the priestess tried to talk some sense into him. _You keep talking about justice and equality. How the bad always gets punishment. But then what about us? What about my mother?_

_Why should I be here when I'm going to hell, anyway?_

Then something snapped.

He remembered the look on the priestess' face and the red mark on Naoto's cheek. It was a natural sign that the boy had went too far, so no one really made a big deal out of the incident.

However, these words resonated deep within Rensuke's soul even today and now it seemed ironic that a pirate captain would visit a church or help a pilgrim as they were all sinners to begin with. These acts contradicted themselves way too much.

"You know, I just hope that the priest of Griswold won't chase us out from the church."

He smiled, mostly at his own thoughts, as if he suddenly understood the meaning behind Naoto's words.

"Well, we won't know until we try," Misaki chuckled.

"Stop that. You sound like some second rate knight trainee," Rensuke let a sardonic smile took the place his previous expression. It was a clear sign that his previous thoughts were shooed away. "And I won't forgive you if you turn out to be a Raimonian space-case when we are dealing with that scallywag."

Though, Misaki gave Rensuke a nod, the word _Raimonian_ made him turn to Tooru in confusion. Courting, raimonians, churches… they meant nothing to the merman as the human vocabulary still held many unknown articles despite the fact that he'd kept listening to them, whenever they visited his island. Territory and culture specific words were out of his league.

"Just ask him later," Tooru told him, putting an arm on his shoulder.

The stage was set, the only needed to open the grand drape to see how their play would continue when other participants were brought in. And this time the crew of Ornitier was watching closely from the front tows, enjoying their work of art.

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**A/N: And I'm back! With another ten pages of words and obtaining more books on marine history and naval tragedies than I ever thought I needed. Apologies, for being so slow with this update, though. It took me some time to get back to practice after this extra-long hiatus and I didn't want this chapter to be filled with more than my awkward wordings. **

**Also about Karaib! While the school was not present in any Inazuma, in the first season they've been shown for a brief moment, after they've lost against Zeus! However, the team was called Caribbean and I wanted to avoid confusions even if their presence was brief. Actually, it's kinda fun, because their shirts look like some kind of blue Kaiou-Prototype.**

**To Hideki:** I'm glad that I could bring some fresh air into the fandom though the lack of clichés might be because the Inazuma fandom barely scratched the surface of canon and we seriously lack fics using the age of sail. Most stories I've seen usually use Raimon and put them in a western high-fantasy setting. :D On the note, I always thought that Minamisawa would be a really cunning or at least clever person based on his actions and on the fact that Gassan Kunimitsu is considered to be better than Raimon. Both in the anime and in the game he knows what is best for him, and acts according to that. It's shame that people miss the opportunity to write a truly witty character. :/

**To Guest:** I was always a sucker for slow-burn romance as a side dish to stories. I like it when both sides in a relationship stand as equals and they have more to them than cuddles and hugs. /

**To serene-lourage: **Ah, I'm certain this is not true. I mean, there are so many adventure fics out there- :3c And Aoba kids were one of the first teams I've encountered in the games so it would be a shame to not include them in some way, especially in a story where the focus stays on the poor background teams. I'm actually really excited to include Arakumo and Tengawara. (Though before Arakumo can take the stage I have to finish Rhapsody Afar as their circumstances are rather special..)


	26. Chapter 26

**[26] Griswold's Love and Peace**

After almost an hour of suffering and groaning the boys managed to transport the merman from point A to point B and finally set their own feet on solid ground. Before they left to attend to their own businesses, they put a hood on Misaki's head in order to hide his ears.

The pair was set.

Or so they've told them. Actually all they did was to bid them goodbye and started walking in the opposite direction. Rensuke only spoke when he was sure that the boys were far away.

"I swear to Neptune, if they don't finish their tasks I'm going to kick their ass," Rensuke groaned. They were more transparent than a jellyfish and he was sure that those slugs will do everything to sneak up on them.

"They will snoop around, anyway," Misaki looked up at him, a knowing smile appearing on his lips.

"Whoop dee doo…" With this Rensuke started pushing the makeshift chair toward the main square.

Thankfully the griswoldians were not that fond of stairs (or maybe sheer laziness led them to use slopes to their advantage), so unless they wanted to get to a residence they didn't need to fight their way through too many steps. The longest stairs were usually three of five steps and fortunately they weren't high so Rensuke could easily roll the chair over them, earning angry groans from the merman.

While Griswold hold the title of the most beautiful town of the archipelago, the port area was nothing special. There were shacks along the way and some of the necessary shops what spared the travellers from venturing too far into the town. However, as soon as they got out of the port district they were greeted by colourful streets decorated with geraniums and azaleas which were planted on the sea-side of the road. They greeted various potted flowers on the other side, while they kept stretching their vines toward the sea.

Namikawa couldn't really name all of them when Misaki finally grew curious, but he did his best to explain in his own way. However, he had to make up many facts as he spoke, colouring the history of Griswold here and there in order to keep the merman entertained.

"Everything is so colourful here," Misaki told him in awe, when they passed a pot of small sunflowers.

"Actually, the town is also called Capital of Flowers because back in the days it was one of the hotspot for trading luxuries," he explained, "And, the previous governors took great care of the image, so they pumped some extra money into cheesy decorations like flowers and coloured cobblestone mosaics. They say, before the trading route shifted thanks to the war, they even had wares from the northern kingdoms like Hakuren and Seidouzan!"

Those names fell flat. Misaki had barely understood the reasons for decorations and to him northern kingdoms were nothing but mash-up copies of the previous towns they had visited. North, was an empty word he often heard people say around him, when they were turning the ship.

But he didn't want to ask Rensuke, or give away that he had no idea half of the stuff he was talking about so to each sentence he gave a soft nod.

"Humans sure love colourful things," he muttered to himself, when they finally reached the main square. The ground was decorated with colourful motives of fish. It gave him the feeling that they were circling around the fountain, which as once again decorated with potted plants. Since he lived his days on the ship where everything was a mix of brown and black, he couldn't really accept the fact that humans strived for beauty.

"Not too shabby, eh?" Rensuke asked, proudness clearly echoing in his words.

"Maybe a bit too bright for my tastes," Misaki laughed weakly. "Should we go and see the Governor?"

"Maybe later," Rensuke hummed as their made their way through the square. "It would be a shame to ruin this day too soon."

"Really? I think it would be easier to get over with this and have fun afterwards. Even if you try to avoid the inevitable, you still have to face him later today."

"That's what I'm afraid of. We didn't really part on the best terms, you see."

Hearing the frustration hiding beneath Rensuke's expression piqued Misaki's curiosity. Since everyone refused to talk about this little adventure in the captain's history, he got really interested in the full story.

"What the hell did you do?" he asked bluntly, surprising even himself.

The captain didn't answer right away; he kept pushing the makeshift chair forward. Probably as far away from the mass of people as he could in case the crew decided to follow them. "Are you _tha_t interested?"

"One could say, yes I am. Everyone kept avoiding that topic, but my mind aches to know why would our dear captain be so ashamed to visit such beautiful settlement," he told him. While the theatrical tone didn't fit Misaki the slightest, these clothes and the hood, gave a strange sort of playfulness to his words. "Pray tell, what's bothering you, my dear companion."

He heard a snort coming from behind. "Believe me, you don't want to hear it."

"Yes, I do. Who knows, it might be important when we visit the governor!"

"Who knows, indeed…" he then led Misaki to a bench and sat next to him to be on the same eye level, yet he refused to look at him. Instead, his gaze was fixed on a flowerbed on the other side of the road.

There weren't any houses after it, just a steep cliff and the endless ocean. "Ugh, this is stupid."

"?"

"Have you ever been drunk?" he asked out of the blue.

"I don't even know what that means," Misaki laughed, but he caught the heavy atmosphere which suddenly befell them.

"It's a state when you drink too much, and you lose your common sense. You say and do extremely stupid things. You can't really tell what's acceptable and what's not. It's kinda… losing your sense of reality? So, I can't really remember it well…"

Fortunately the merman was quick and he almost immediately took up the pace of Rensuke's thoughts. "What did you do?"

He was scared that it was something horrible. But to his question Rensuke just grew red and his face in his hands.

"I flirted with him," he said at last. Misaki's ears perked under the hoods, he didn't understood the term, but he had a fine grasp on what it could mean.

"You did _what_?" Misaki saw Rensuke flinch at his words.

"I flirted with him. While being extremely drunk," he summoned his courage and continued, "By the time the others have noticed, it was too late and I did several stupid things. Flirting was a small sin compared to the rest of it."

"You courted him?!" the merman tried to hide the anger that suddenly started bubbling in his stomach, but his words still kept their piercing tone. Rensuke was courting someone while being drunk and instead laughing at his mistake, all he wanted to do was to punch the captain.

These feelings were unknown for him.

"That wasn't my intention! And… fortunately, I didn't get too far…"

"Certainly…" he swallowed back the desire to say anything else, but he could still see the betrayed expression lingering on Rensuke's face.

Misaki was angry, but with who? It must've been a hilarious story, but he failed to see the humour in is. The stinging feeling prevented him from doing so.

"Do you like him?" he asked after minutes of silence.

"No."

Relief flooded his mind, along with a strange kind of calmness, while his ears flopped back to his head.

"… Sorry."

"No need to apologize. Just next time, don't confuse my drunken adventures with genuine feelings," said Rensuke, and Misaki nodded slowly. He was still slightly confused by his own thoughts which deemed to be undecipherable. It completely ruined his regular, everyday way of talking.

"I-I didn't meant to! I don't even have the concept of being drunk," he raised his hands in defence.

Rensuke just looked at him with awe in his eyes. Obviously, merfolk never got drunk, but still the fact that Misaki had no concept of being out of control was way too amusing.

"Oh sweet, summer child," he let out a soft chuckle, sweeping his bangs out of his eyes as he looked at the even more confused merman. "Probably it's better if you don't know how it feels to be drunk."

"I beg to differ," he shot him a grin. "Now, you piqued my interest so I want to hear more about the human traditions of drinking."

"Oh, mother of the sea," Rensuke muttered to himself, standing up from the bench. "Do I look like your father?"

Misaki just shrugged, "I don't know. But it would be really nice of you if you shared your experiences with me."

"Alright, alright. You get one ticket for a tale about drunken sailors," he told him as he grabbed the handles of the chair. "But first I want to eat because I'm afraid; if we visit that eel with empty stomach I might punch him."

Misaki could only nod in agreement. Truth to be told, he knew how snappy his captain could get if he missed any meals of the day, so as long as he got the promised explanation, he didn't dare to go against his will.

Everyone on the ship had a story to tell about Rensuke biting their heads off.

At first, the captain would start growling at the smallest mistakes. That was the first sign that he was in dire need of food.

Then, when his stomach actually stopped growling, all hell broke loose. Everyone considered the ship's cook to be the only one who was capable of taming it. Misaki still remembered the first time he actually had the captain snapping at him for something really trivial. They ended up bickering for an hour, before Rensuke stormed away like a spoiled kid, only to return with an apology and a beef jerky.

Afterwards, everyone warned him to get out of Rensuke's way when he is too hungry to think straight.

They ended up at a small tavern, which was built a bit higher than the main square and thanks to this they were above eye-level. This way, they managed to avoid uncomfortable glances from the locals and had an advantage when it came to spotting loose Kaiou pirates in the middle of the crowd.

Truth to be told, Rensuke never visited that place and mostly kept making rounds around the local bar back in the days. But since Naoto used to sign hymns about the

"Do you have anything in mind?" Rensuke asked the merman.

"Uhm, I'll get the same as you," said Misaki, glancing up from the piece of paper that was brought to him when he arrived to the place. He stared at the letters, but they refused to form words in his mind.

"What if I get something really disgusting, though?" Rensuke seemed to catch him off guard, because the merman stared at him with displeasure in his eyes.

"I know you wouldn't. We've been living on the same ship for months now."

"But there we had limited amount and variety of food," a sly smile appeared on his lips. "So, how about this?"

He pointed at a name somewhere in the middle of the paper.

"Ah, yes sounds good," Misaki nodded.

"You do realize, that I just recommended pickled cucumbers for you, do you?" Rensuke raised an eyebrow.

"Do I?" he laughed nervously.

"Misaki, look, could you read this for me?"

Another name, another heap of letters what made no sense for the merman. He tried his best, pretending to read, sometimes wrinkling his nose, like a scholar who just met the hardest question of his life. He hummed, he tapped the table with his fingers, but the meaning just wouldn't come.

"Just give me a moment…"

"Misaki."

"Just a moment!" he barked at him desperately. "I can read, just not today."

"Mhm. Suuure." Rensuke was sure he'd heard an ego breaking near him. "You do know that there is nothing to be ashamed of, do you? Nobody expects you to be an expert in a field you've never encountered before."

He face was serious enough to force Misaki to surrender.

"I know, but… Argh, this is still embarrassing," a slight blush appeared on his cheeks. To think, that he was unable to do something what came natural to everyone else around him was more than frustrating. Especially, when he thought about how the captain's first mate often wandered around the ship with a book in his hand. This obviously meant that the first-mate surpassed Misaki in terms of knowledge and reading skills.

Rensuke did not fail to notice the sullen expression that passed over Misaki's face.

"You can always ask Nagisa to teach you," he started. "He somehow managed to teach Azu how to write and use signs, so I bet he has a knack for these kinds of things. I'm pretty sure he would be over the moon if you wanted to learn. But for now, let me help you."

"I suppose that's my only choice," the merman laughed, readjusting his hood to keep it from falling off his head. "But as much as I hate to say this, I'm still unfamiliar with human dishes."

"Well, what do merfolk eat under the water?"

"Fish. Mostly fish. Raw fish, to be exact. Sometimes seaweeds, dulses and kelps too," as he uttered the last three words he felt cold ran though his spine. He hated to admit it, but the crew on the Ornitier spoiled him and after the culinary wonders Tooru had created he couldn't think about eating the tasteless greens.

Probably, he wouldn't last a day without cooked food.

"What about prawns?"

"Yikes! Just no. They're so disgusting with their tiny legs. My friend once tried to get me eating one, but its shell was too hard and legs were everywhere. You can't even kill them properly because they keep… wriggling!"

"You are extremely hard to please, you know that?!"

"Well, you would be too! And believe me I had enough fish for an entire lifetime."

Once again, Rensuke was at his wit's end. To his grief, he was never around when Tooru and Misaki had their tiny little discussions about food, and the absence of this knowledge had its effect on their present problems.

He let out a small sigh.

"Is there anything you are interested in?"

The merman went silent. "Hmmm… Actually there is something, I guess. You know, I never had any landwelling creature before!"

"Alright, that sounds acceptable for both me and my wallet."

"I'm glad to hear that," Misaki couldn't help but laugh at his captain. He never came off as a stingy person, so having him complaining about money was completely out of character.

The rest of their so called lunch went away, as if food had a strange power over time. The merman couldn't stop praising both his and Rensuke's food. Obviously, when he'd seen the deep fried prawns on the other's plate he couldn't help snatching away one or two.

"I thought you hated prawns," Rensuke grinned at him, whenever he caught Misaki eyeing something from his side.

"Who told you I like them? It's just a taste test!" he said as he swung the fork toward his newest prey. Surprisingly, the merman had no problems holding utensils, which had something to do with Tooru and the endless hours the merman had to spend helping him in the kitchen. As an answer to Misaki's uncivilized act, Rensuke followed him and started stealing meat and greens from the other.

"Hey!"

"It's eye for an eye!"

Rensuke gave a mocking laugh.

"Pardon?! Shouldn't we just switch plates if we keep eating each other's food?" Misaki asked disregarding the looks passer-by's gave them. The previous frown was nowhere to be found and his cheerfulness urged Rensuke into their usual friendly bickering.

Only the bell made them realize how much time has passed ever since they sat down.

"We should make our way to the Governor," told Misaki. After Rensuke had told him the story of the bells and the Cadence Tower again. However, he had no objections and decided to keep silent about his previous talk with Tooru.

It was nice hearing the story from a different perspective. Especially from Rensuke's. His version lacked any historical facts, and strictly focused on the legend and emotions, something the merman understood better than the inner conflicts of humans.

Needless to say, Misaki was delighted to hear that the church was right next to the tower.

"They say that if the bells start ringing when you walk under the passage, luck and happiness will find you, eventually," he explained as they walked toward the villa which stood at the northern corner of Griswold. "Also, if this happens on the day of your wedding your marriage will be long and filled with joy… Sometimes, I wonder if my parents' timing was right."

While Misaki couldn't see Rensuke's expression, from is voice the merman could clearly hear some kind of melancholy. It wasn't sadness, but some sort of mixture of loneliness. He was about to ask what's a wedding, but instead focused on the second part of Rensuke's sentence.

"Are parents important for humans?" he asked cautiously.

"Well, they are the main reason why I am here today, so yep," Rensuke chuckled.

"Then, I'm pretty sure they caught the bells ringing," Misaki nodded in agreement. Wedding must have been a serious business for humans. "Were you here on this wedding-thing?"

"I wish! But I wasn't even born yet, only two years after their marriage," he said reminiscing about the past. "My father used to travel a lot with Captain Masatsugu; he was his first mate, after all. So, mom often joked that my father was married to the sea and the ship."

"Wait, but I always thought the captain was your father!" Misaki turned toward him in confusion. Human families were more complicated than he originally had thought. Until now, everyone on the ship referred to the late captain as Rensuke's father figure, even in that dream, his actions were rather fatherly. He thought they were related by blood. But now, the merman was confused. What was the captain to Rensuke if he wasn't his father?

"Nope. My father was his first-mate, however… well, after he died, the captain kind of took my under his wings."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..!"

However, Rensuke cut in before he could say more. "It's okay. You've told me your story so the least I can do is to share mine. However, first we have to face the monster of the sea."

Something hit Misaki in the chest. It wasn't painful, but still left and empty ring in its wake. He was honest to Rensuke back on the island and now he is repaying honesty by sharing his past with him. It was probably selfish from his side, but something about this made him happy.

First in his life, he felt important.

In his village, he was always more of a hunter. This meant that he had to spend majority of his time away from his kind and even when he returned home, he missed too many events from the village's life. Misaki had friends, but he never really asked them about their days or what happened while he was away. It was easier to join the flow, than backtracking what he'd missed by asking.

But this time, a story was offered without a request.

Someone wanted to tell him more about a past he couldn't experience.

"Aye, aye, Captain. You can drag me into anything as long as I get my payment," he grinned, waving at his captain. "Just don't smooch him when we get there."

"Should I kiss you instead?" Rensuke teased him, being used to Misaki's often painful comments.

"I appreciate the thought," he answered, red slowly taking over his cheeks. "B-But it would be better if you just kept your mouth at bay and didn't go smooching everything like a gourami."

Rensuke snorted at his comment, but didn't reply. Probably, because Misaki's frustration declared him as the winner of the round or because he was still trying to understand what Misaki's fish-reference meant in the first place.

On the other hand, Misaki stayed silent, because he was still shocked by his own thoughts. He wouldn't mind being kissed, or would he? His brain wouldn't stop racing around this thought, and jealousy, no matter how childish or baseless it was, held out its hand in this merry-go-round.

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..-..-.-..**

**And there goes my plan to update this story fast~! But I finally finished my exams, now the only thing keeping my away from writing is that blasted Fire Emblem. I went to the store to get the coin for my Limited Edition and ended up buying Awakening too… And then there is Etrian… Hahaha, and Etrian is on its way to get a Pirate/Prince oneshot, because the 3****rd**** game is an age of sail story! ORZ I bought it to boost my ideas for this AU and then ended up adopting 5 more sons and daughters. ..**

**But back to the chapter, I hope you liked it. I really wanted to give them some alone time when none of them is on the verge of crying and I can finally write about Rensuke's family! And the plot will once again move forward regarding the merfolk poachers! I really can't wait to introduce the Queen of this game of chess! **

**Serene: **That's really sad. But also the Inazuma wiki is a pain to edit. I remember wanting to add some in-canon quotes for Nosei back in the days, but it was quickly deleted alongside the descriptions I submitted taken straight from their bio. (The game gives us surprising amount of personality for minor teams)

I always thought Aoba was a more laid back school. The team seems to be a bit on the inferiority complex side. Most of the players from them are hopeless romantics, slugabeds but really dedicated to their team. I mean, one of the players dyed the team's uniform himself! The others often write poems or just proclaim love only to get rejected! And one of them cuts his hair whenever he is disappointed in love…? Azu is wildcard though. He is prickly and wild.

**Ah, and before I forget, reviews are always welcomed!**


	27. Chapter 27

**[27.] ****Loss of Strength**

On their way to the mansion Rensuke did his best to prepare Misaki for the worst to come.  
The Pirate Leader of Griswold was the little brother of the leader of Rottingham, Kabutenji Yuu. According to Rensuke, the boy was a lousy maggot. A tiny nuisance and he didn't miss a chance to warn Misaki about the governor's clever ways of exposing secrets with the most impossible methods. His words were harsh, almost like he was describing the Devil himself in form of a kid.

"Okay, I get it," Misaki told him, when Rensuke reached the part where Kabutenji's brother reached the same level of a shrimp.

Finally after much hesitation, Rensuke rang the doorbell, and to Misaki's surprise the person appearing in the door was neither a monster nor a seacreature. Yaku could easily pass as someone else's brother because he didn't share any of Yuu's features. As if he had come from a different family. Blonde hair, tanned skin and brown eyes.

"Dropped in for a visit, eh?" he smirked at Rensuke.

"Yeah, I wanted to see your ratface instead of having fun with the boys in the mole hole you call town."

"That was a wise choice. By now, you would be making a shameful display of your alcohol intolerance," a smirk appeared on Yaku's lips. But he still didn't make any move to invite the duo deeper into his house. "And this scallop here? Sharing the same fate?"

Before Rensuke could introduce the merman, he looked up at the Governor of Griswold and lied into his face without hesitation.

"T'is might not be far from the truth. However, I'm just a pilgrim accompanying the seafarer called Ornitier. They were kind enough to let me travel with them after the regrettable attack on Anglers' Reef."

The governor raised his eyebrow, carefully inspecting Yoshimine. He hummed, and made a face. "Weird. Anglers' Reef never struck me as a pilgrim paradise. They mostly worship their own boats…" he stopped, as if he was digging up some kind of hidden information from the back of his mind. "Oh and mermaids. They gotta love the tales of them! I daresay, it's a weird destination for a pilgrim."

"Sometimes God leads us to the strangest of places," the merman smiled.

"Indeed." Yaku nodded with a knowing smile, before he suddenly changed the topic. "But let's continue this inside, the night is getting chilly."

He invited them in, and led the duo to his study. Or so they thought, after the boys took several glances at the maps and paintings covering the wall. But just like in Rottingham, they were surprised by the order which ruled the entire house. Misaki held back a comment comparing Yaku's study and Rensuke's room, knowing that the time was not right when they were dealing with Rensuke's supposed arch nemesis.

Even so, Yaku was faster than them and started a conversation as soon as he sat down at his desk. Rensuke was rather reluctant about even accepting a seat from the governor, but in the end reluctantly sat down in front of him, watching the young leader like a cat which has been dragged out from the river. He was way too tense, but it seemed that Yaku was more interested in Misaki, for now.

"May I ask what brought you here with this lowlife hoodlum?"

"T'is a long story. The Kaiou pirates of Marine Snow were the only souls who took pity on a pilgrim like me. As you can see, my state is hardly normal and alas it scares away most sailors from taking me aboard."

"My apologies. Indeed, it must be hard to reach your destination. Hey, Renno, this reminds me!" Rensuke shivered when he heard the unnatural nickname. "What being bought _you_ by?"

_A sea dragon_, he was about to say, before he stopped himself.

"Just making sure that you are still alive," he told him with a sheepish grin. However, Yaku was unaffected.

"How kind of you. I hope you aren't disappointed to see me alive, then," he laughed. "After all, it's a state I can't change. But back to our previous topic, I'm more interested in our pilgrim here."

Misaki was the centre of Yaku's attention and with each question he felt like he was being interrogated. Yaku kept his sweet words, the polite little gestures, but deep down Misaki felt that the governor was waiting for the right moment to strike down on him. The governor was slowly backtracking Misaki's fake pilgrim history, trying to find something contradictory.

"I came through Senbayama. A merchant was kind enough to take me to Angler's Reef," he explained.

"That's hardly a short voyage. Where do you come from if I might ask?"

"From the Kingdom of Raimon. There is a rather small settlement near the southern region," he quickly lied.

From the corner of his eyes he could see Rensuke throwing him a warning glance, but Yaku seemingly took the bait.

"Hmm, there aren't many of those in the southern region. But if it's a small settlement then you must be from Misora. Been there once for a short vacation. Lovely place."

"Oh, then you are familiar with the place."

"Almost too well," his said in a low voice. His face distorted into a twisted smirk as he sat back in his chair. "Too bad, I just made it up on the spot. You seemed to have really nice memories of the place."

"Indeed. Wait. What?" Feeling of dread run along his spines. He managed to ruin their completely fool-proof plan in no time and Yaku didn't even bat an eye when he set the trap in the middle of the conversation.

"Oh, c'mon! You didn't think I believed your little story about Rensuke helping you, do ya? You must be hella special for the guy since you're here, but forget about the pilgrim business if you want to make a progress here." He gave them a painful smirk. "It just won't work."

Misaki was about to mutter a silent sorry toward Rensuke, but he kept his head high, not letting Yaku's words get him side-tracked even though his lie was exposed. He needed to work from what he'd already known so he quickly switched to Story B.

"Then the cat is really out of the bag now," he sighed. "And believe me, I'm terribly sorry for trying to deceive you, however I was acting only on the behalf of my Lady, the Sea Rose. She has entrusted me with a task, you see. However, I must stay in the guise of a pilgrim to successfully carry out this mission. As you might have noticed pilgrims can travel without being interrogated much."

Then he looked at Rensuke "Captain Rensuke has allowed me to travel with them as we share our destinations. Today, I wished to accompany him, Governor."

"I see that's very kind of you, even if this scallywag deserves no companionship."

Rensuke was sure that he'd seen a flash of irritation in Misaki's eyes, before the merman started to reel in the governor, taking small bites of him as their conversation went on. "In my humble opinion, Captain Rensuke is the most capable person I've ever met and his companionship is truly unrivalled."

"You saying this as the helper of the Sea Rose or as a member of _his_ crew? Choose wisely, because only one option leads you through the front door. " There was something beneath that cocky smile ad as the governor of Griswold stepped toward him, Misaki could feel the urge of jumping away from his way getting stronger.

He was cornered in the game of wits.

"Who are you loyal to?" Yaku asked again, eyes gleaming playfully.

"I…"

However, before Misaki could open his mouth to answer a voice roared behind him.

"Why are you so keen on interrogating him?" A hand gripped his shoulder. "We are not here for this."

"Certainly." The governor nodded, then sat down in his chair. "But you can admit, it's good to know who I am dealing with."

"If that is your only concern, then I think it's safe to say that we are not here to cause any trouble and that should be enough." Misaki quickly took up the flow of the conversation. "The only thing we want from you is information regarding the curious phenomenons appearing in the archipelago and how the Dukedom might be related to it. Recently they started hunting creatures from the abyss."

"You mean, merfolk," Yaaku corrected him without batting an eye. "There is no need for synonyms."

"Yes. That's another way of naming them. Captain Rensuke has thought that the military movements regarding the Dukedom and the disappearance of sealife might be connected, the thing is, we have no idea how."

"Captain Rensuke is awfully clever lately," the young governor snorted. "But you're right. The two cases are glued together, or so we perceived. However, I'm afraid; I can't really help you, because right now I can't really investigate the case."

"Because of what happened at Anglers' reef?"

"Aye. Losing it was a heavy blow on the islands' defence, so right now I have to focus on protecting Griswold from the Dukedom. Only devil knows when they are going to strike," he almost spit the words as he uttered the enemy's name.

"Well, each to his own," Misaki shrugged.

His words brought a smile to Yaku's lips. Genuine one, devoid of sarcasm. Yet his attention was on Rensuke again as if he was thinking about something. "You better keep your merman safe. He is a clever one. Also…" He stood up as if he didn't notice the two in front of him flinching at the word merman. "Be sure to keep an eye on your firstmate, because apparently not only his hair is green."

"Now, Yaku, are you telling me that my mate is jealous? Of who?"

"Do you know anyone who has a ship around here?" Yaku raised an eyebrow.

"Plenty of people can say this about themselves."

"Don't play dumb, please. This is important. Your first-mate, see. He is helping the Dukedom."

"You can stop now. I've learnt my lesson."

"Look, Rensuke. It's only natural that you don't believe me, but please, believe your common sense. I can see it in your eyes that something has happened between you and Wanda. I'm telling you as a friend, don't meet him! Don't follow him or you'll lose something more important than your honour."

"Like what?"

"Your family."

"I don't know if you've noticed but Wanda is part of my family too," he felt anger bubbling in his stomach, but there was something else too. A feeling which appeared so many times, a thought which kept laughing at him whenever he decided to turn blind eye to Naoto's actions.

"They say every family has its black sheep," the governor gave him a serious look.

"Well and it's the job of the family's head to keep the black sheep with the flock."

"Indeed, I just merely gave you a warning. To stay at our sheep related metaphors; the flock has a wolf in sheep skin. Ya-"

But before he could continue Rensuke was already standing, his hands gripped the handles of Misaki's makeshift wheelchair.

"If you'll excuse us. We still have to visit a church and report back to my crew."

The governor only nodded with an all knowing smile. "Of course. Oh, and Rensuke, if you're so interested in the mermaid, perhaps you should visit Tengawara. Rumours are circulating about their involvement and that they have several members of the merfolk helping them."

However, Rensuke didn't turn toward him as he spoke. His gaze was fixated on the door before him.

"Finished already?"

"Yeah, I think Yes."

"Good."

With this the duo was out of the room. Yaku did nothing to stop them; he knew even if he managed to halt Rensuke's steps any further argument would be pointless. He did what he could even if managed to give him the wrong impression. From now on, it's up to Rensuke.

While part of him still disliked him for that drunken night and wanted to drag Rensuke through the mud for it, Yaku didn't want to see any of the Kaiou pirates hurt and broken.

However, either Naoto or the merman will destroy them. It was only matter of time.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..-.-.-.-.-.-.-..-.-

Hoooooo, it was so long ago and many life related things happened starting with the big Summer Fever at the cinema, so they boss always managed to keep me busy. Hah. We actually broke the all-time visitor record in the middle of August!

But I also had a major art and writer's block and Etrian Odyssey actually managed to keep my sidetracked once again. Now I know what 8 years in boat hell means.

Still I hope you liked this rather short chapter, next time it's Misaki's turn to calm down Rensuke and have a heart-to-heart talk with him.


End file.
